Just Before the End
by Mage-Pages
Summary: Yogscast collective prequel/SoI stuff. For the scientist, it was only another science experiment. But that little test tube set in motion the start of the end of the world. A Yogscast Backstory that takes place during the Shadow of Israphel timeline. T for violence, a bit of language and (possibly) some... stuff. Even if you aren't going to read it, hope Y'all have a Wonderful day!
1. Chapter 1- Project Beta and a Spaceman

_(Author's Note-Hey guys! I've decided to rewrite the earlier chapters of this story thanks to my newly obtained experience in writing. I'm posting them here, and I've also put them on Wattpad, so feel free to read wherever you'd like, whichever format you like better. They'll be going up at the same rate, I should hope. Though I'm losing some of the intimacy with you guys with these notes, considering the amount of time it's been since I first wrote these chapters, don't be afraid to review or PM me or anything. I generally leave a note on every chapter, basically recalling the minor aspects of my life that influenced my writing, thanking everyone and wishing them a good day. I'll still try to do that, but I don't really know how much I'll be able to write. Anyways, particulars aside, I sincerely hope that all you beautiful people enjoy the chapter and have a wonderful day! ~ Mage)_

**Chapter one:**

Lalna held the beaker carefully. This first step was the most crucial stage of this experiment. The beaker held the contents of the last two years. Two years of frustration, research, and finally a glimmer of hope.

Hope that the impossible could be done.

_Lab Entry One Lalna_

_Today I started the initial stages of Project Beta. I combined the DNA taken from my blood with that of a villager, and an Enderman. I am hoping to create an intelligent, docile Enderman that does not kill at a glance. The opportunities for research are endless! Anyway, it took several hours of gene splicing and genetic modifying, but after great concentration, it worked. The cells started to divide on their own. They mature at an exaggerated pace, so the specimen is already developing a corporeal form. After verifying that everything was operating at maximum efficiency, I transported the specimen into an embryo tank. At the current rate, the specimen will be full-grown within approximately a month. It will be adult when it comes out of the embryo tank. I am confident that Beta will have a much higher rate of success then experiment Alpha did. I have logged in many research hours in the past two years._

_In unrelated news- Some sort of flying object fell out of the sky this afternoon. I did not see it, as I was very busy with the specimen, but the radars picked it up. It fell about five miles north of the Lab. I will investigate tomorrow, it is far too late now, and I must sleep._

_Signing off….._

Upon waking the next morning, Lalna got up, and performed his usual morning routine; a loaf of bread, a Pork Chop, and then off to work. He made a courtesy check-up on all of his on-going projects, but there wasn't much going on, because he dedicated most of his time to the Beta project. It had consumed most of his efforts for the past few years.

Finally it was time to check that final project. He walked down the hallway, and came to the thick iron door. A sign nearby read simply: "Project Beta". Several levers had to be pulled to open the door. Project Alpha had ended quite badly, hence the extra security precautions.

After a complex combination of levers had been pulled, the solid iron door swung open.

There was a mass of cables and machinery plugging into a tank filled with light blue liquid. A thumb sized dot floated in the middle, connected to some of the machinery via thread-thin wires. Lalna checked a few monitors, and nodded, pleased. Everything was going well.

He left the room, locking it well behind him, and listened to the lab tape from the day before. The 'unrelated' part caught his ear. The lab was pretty much running itself, and he should really see what the object had been. The radars had given him the coordinates, about five miles north. He had no reason not to.

He grabbed a prototype jetpack he had been developing and set out. Ten minutes later, he was there.

The object had actually been some form of space ship. It lay on the ground, crushed like an old tin can, still smoldering. Lalna landed a few paces away from the ship, carefully. He took a few steps closer to the wreckage, worried about the smoke billowing out.

"Who're you?" A voice boomed out from behind him.

He turned, startled, but his voice held steady. "I'm Lalna. And you?"

The other man was dressed in some sort of skin-tight suit. He looked impressed by Lalna's bravery, so gave a courteous answer. "My name is Xephos. Where am I?"

"About a three-month journey from any major town"

Xephos shook his head "No, no. I meant what planet am I on?"

Lalna's eyes widened slightly. "Uh…this is the planet Minecraftia."

He knew that space travel was theoretically possible, but had never been able to get even a satellite achieve orbit. This 'Xephos' spoke English, but it had a weird accent about it. Who knew how far away he was from?

Xephos frowned and mumbled to himself "Hmm… Minecraftia…that's far off-course." He walked distractedly past Lalna to his ship. He looked at a few melted wires, and a piece of charred engine that had fallen off. He sighed.

"It's hopeless! Just so much scrap metal now!" He angrily punched the smoking carcass. "OW!"

Lalna stood there, watching Xephos fume for a few moments. Though slightly fearful of the spaceman's erratic behaviour, he couldn't help asking, "How did you come to be here?"

Xephos sighed, "I live- well, lived- on a spaceship. All was well, but out of the blue a large fleet of enemies attacked us. We were losing badly, and the captain ordered us to evacuate. I was alone in the last pod. It malfunctioned somehow, and instead of going to the pre-destined coordinates, it took a random course. I lost control, and it crashed." His face fell.

"And now I'm stranded. I've met one other person here, and I'm lucky I did. His name is Honeydew, and he saved my life."

At that point, a faint voice called out to them, and soon a ginger dwarf came walking over, holding a tankard of mead, or perhaps ale. He squinted up at Lalna "I've seen you before Goggles, doing all that science stuff."

Lalna nodded politely. He couldn't really say the same, considering he hardly ever saw the dwarves. They all lived in vast underground cities, and besides, all of them had great quantities of hair growing out of their faces. He couldn't really tell one from the other.

Xephos was still speaking "So I've met Honeydew, and now you. I understand that Honeydew lives with a tribe of dwarves, but besides them, are there other people around here?"

Lalna nodded "There are a few living in the woods. They worship the trees or something. I know one of them is a blonde, and goes by Marvin, or Marlin. It's something like that. They seem nice enough. There is an island, and a friend of mine Lomadia, lives there with her best friend Nilesy. There is a man named Sips I met a bit east of here. We've only spoken once; He said something about selling dirt. Sounded like nonsense to me. He kind of struck me as the slightest bit greasy. I've seen a few others, around but I don't really know them. I tend to stay within my lab. There are small villages and towns a few weeks away, but nothing really noteworthy until you get to Mistral City, far east from here."

Xephos nodded. "Thank you. I need to see about traveling until I can gather the means to rejoin my people in space."

Honeydew spoke up. "Traveling is well and fine, but you need to make some plans. You're going to need a place to stay for the night." He turned to Lalna. "A Creeper nearly killed him last night. He didn't even know what it was! Unfortunately, my tribe does not allow outsiders, especially humans, into our cities."

Lalna thought about this. Xephos needed a safe place to stay before nightfall, and he obviously didn't know anything about surviving on this planet. He_ could_ invite Xephos to the lab. It seemed crazy to extend such an offer, yet he found himself doing so regardless.

"You can come with me to my lab, I could use the company." It was rude to ignore the dwarf. "You can come too, Honeydew"

It was gratefully they both accepted.

**End of Chapter One**


	2. Chapter 2- Company in the Lab

_(Author's Note- Nothing particular to say here, as I'm reuploading the first 5 chapters all at once. I forgot to say before what you need to find me on Wattpad. My user name is the same as here, as is the title of this story. Enjoy the chapter and have a wonderful day!)_

**Chapter Two**

**_Voice Journal Entry OneXephos_**

_-ing on….? What a dinosau- oh, there's the light, ok… I'm starting a new voice log on the old recorder that I found in the escape pod, hopefully it will be of some use to my superiors upon my escape pod I was in crash-landed on a inhabitable planet called 'Minecraftia'. It is inhabited by several species of hominid, so far as I have observed. I seemed to have landed far from any densely populated areas, according to some locals. One of them is a scientist named 'Lalna'. He has given me shelter, along with another of a different species, who identified himself as a dwarf. The Dwarf's name is Honeydew, and he has been very friendly. He talks about the strangest things that live on this planet. Or rather, don't live. He speaks of undead rising every night, and tall black hominoids that can teleport, and become hostile if you look at them. He also speaks of alter dimensions that hold even stranger and more powerful creatures. It's probably all that mead he drinks talking. He told me, quite proudly, that mead is like water to his race. Honeydew also talks of the great underground cities his kind inhabits. I have not spoken to Lalna as often, although he seems to be a very nice man. He is always in his laboratory, working on one of various projects. He has not told us much about them, but he's usually very busy._

_I need to find the galactic coordinates of this planet, so I can rejoin my crew at the rally point. This planet has the staple materials found throughout the galaxy, like iron, copper and such, and has many other materials I haven't before heard of. I must build a new ship to get back into space._

_End_

Xephos leaned back in the chair in the nice guestroom Lalna had prepared for him. Honeydew's was across the hall. The dwarf's faint snores came through the walls. Xephos remembered earlier, at dinner. Honeydew had shown off by drinking four tankards of the extra-strong stuff his race brewed, then promptly passed out. When he woke up, he just shook it off, saying it was a bit stronger than he was used to. Then he asked for more. Xephos was amazed at the sheer amount of alcohol he could consume, yet never seeming drunk or hung-over. Perhaps it was another ability of his race. Xephos had already seen the rate at which he could dig and swing a pick. Mining seemed to be a large part of life on Minecraftia. Honeydew constantly talked of it, and even Lalna disappeared into his network of tunnels every now and then.

This place was a lot different than life on the ship, that's for sure. Xephos felt his eyes growing heavy, and he drifted off to sleep.

Across the hall, Honeydew was awakening from a deep sleep. Dwarfs were naturally nocturnal, so it wasn't unusual for him to sleep until dark. But that stuff at dinner _might_ have had something to do with it too. He reached for his tankard on the stand beside the bed and took a hearty gulp. He got up with a groan, and looked in the mirror above the desk. There weren't many mirrors underground, so it was a bit of a novelty to Honeydew. He puffed up his chest and stroked his ginger beard proudly.

There wasn't much to do, seeing as it was night, and both of the men were probably sleeping. Being alone wasn't a new thing to Honeydew. That wasn't to say he had no friends; he enjoyed all the same things as the other dwarfs- drinking, flirting with the dwarven ladies, and mining, but he never really felt like he belonged there. He liked to see the sun, the moon and the stars, but the rest of his tribe never came above ground. He was the only one.

He left the mirror, and walked across the corridor to Xephos's room. The spaceman was leaned back in his chair, fast asleep, still wearing that ridiculous skintight suit. Honeydew noticed a little electronic gadget on the desk in front of Xephos. Honeydew had no idea what it was. He wanted to take the gizmo and see what it did, but he didn't want to be caught snooping. He felt drawn Xephos somehow, as though Fate had planned something for a simple dwarf and a fallen spaceman. It seemed ridiculous.

He shrugged, and walked down the hallway to where Lalna's room was.

He frowned when he arrived there. Goggles wasn't in his room. Honeydew had a weird feeling about Lalna. He wasn't scared of the scientist, although many other dwarfs mistrusted science. He _had_ heard strange things though. Rumor told that one night, a few years ago something big had broken out of Lalna's lab, and that the scientist had stopped it, nearly at the cost of his own life. The entire incident was quite mysterious and notorious among the dwarven people.

Honeydew wasn't sure if he bought it. Never knew if you could trust rumors.

However, this rumor was, in fact, true. It was the dreaded 'Alpha' experiment. When Lalna had first been dabbling in the field of gene-splicing and cloning, he had created a bat/Enderman hybrid. He had thought that the bats neutrality towards people would take the Enderman's aggression away.

Needless to say, he was wrong. Instead it had mutated during the very end of its growth, and the specimen spontaneously grew to colossal proportions. Lalna hadn't been able to pin down what had made it grow so suddenly. The abrupt pain of its DNA tearing caused by the unnaturally quick growth had spurred it into a fit of insanity. The Specimen destroyed a third of the lab as it went mad and attacked. Lalna tried to destroy it, but was nearly killed. During the struggle, he managed to pull open a wormhole with dangerous prototype technology. The Specimen was sucked through it, taken away from that dimension forever. Ultimately, the machine that allowed the wormhole was destroyed along with most of the lab, but it was a small price to pay for his life.

None knew of the true incident. They only speculated based on the flashes and sounds coming from the lab at the top of the mountain. So to Honeydew, it was only a rumor, and he didn't trust rumors.

He left the doorway of Lalna's room, and headed back to his own. He sat on his bed and hummed a tune to himself, taking a gulp of his plentiful ale every now and then. In due course, he fell back asleep.

Lalna hadn't been in his room because he was checking on Project Beta. It was about a week into development, and some small features were becoming visible, much like on a human embryo. Lalna could see that the specimen was male, along with the beginnings of fingers and toes. Everything was going as should: the monitors showed no instability in its DNA, and it was starting to have some healthy mental activity, but he could not suppress a nervous feeling. He shook his head. Everything was going well.

"_But-" _A rebellious voice in his head whispered "_Everything was fine with Alpha until the very end."_

He shook his head again to clear the antagonistic voice. Everything would go right with this one; it had to! He had spent years on this! He left the room, and bolted the door tight behind him. His mind soon turned to other matters.

The spaceman and the dwarf for instance. Lalna hadn't really had company since he left his parents house in Mistral City. That had been 6 long, happy years ago. The only person had had contact with here was his longtime friend Lomadia, and even then only through letters and the occasional visit. He saw the other people that lived nearby of course, but he did not really talk or deal with them except for very rarely.

It felt very odd to have company in the lab, but he was enjoying the new knowledge it brought him.

It had been a few days ago, when he first welcomed the others to the lab. Xephos had barely stepped through the door when he noticed a bit of machinery that separated different materials. He crouched by the circuitry.

"Is this Redstone?" he had asked.

"Yeah." was Lalna's reply.

"Wow… my people haven't used Redstone for dec-" Lalna clearly remembered the strange look that had crossed Xephos's face "I mean… I know a way to make this more efficient." He stepped back "Just move this piece-" He pointed "-to here. Now you can take out those three others."

Needless to say, Lalna was impressed. He gained a whole new respect for the spaceman.

As for the dwarf, he was no more crude that the rest of his kind. He was constantly humming or singing to himself, and his skill heavily depended on his level of intoxication. He wasn't like the other dwarves that Lalna had briefly met when his tunnels intercepted theirs. They had been rather rude and aggressive, and he had never seen one above the ground. However, Honeydew seemed to enjoy the outdoors, taking a walk nearly every sunset.

Lalna got to his room, but had no interest in sleeping more. He looked for a bare spot on the wall. When he had freetime not occupied by sleep, he would usually paint, and as he let his hands flow over the blank canvas his mind would wander. He developed his strangest and most creative inventions that way.

Eventually, he found a satisfactory spot, and began to paint. He painted all night.

**End of Chapter Two **


	3. Chapter 3- A Stroll Through the Woods

**Chapter Three**

Xephos awoke the next morning, sore from his night in the chair. It had been a week since he had come to stay in the lab.

He stretched, groaning softly as his stiff muscles began to loosen. He accidentally knocked the voice recorder from the desk in front of him to the ground, but didn't notice until the loud clatter startled him. He sighed as he picked it up. Keeping records for posterity seemed so dull. He would much rather take a walk and explore some of this strange new world. He figured that the best person to ask for places to visit would be the scientist.

He set down the hall to Lalna's room, and found him intently studying a few line graphs. He noted with some amusement the paint blotches on the scientist's coat. So he was an artist as well as a genius. Interesting. The scientist had dark circles under his eyes, although he had been up all night. Perhaps he had been.

Then Xephos actually _noticed _the walls and ceiling.

A fantastic masterpiece covered the majority of the room's surfaces. It seemed as though every style of art was represented. Dark cloudy landscapes bordered bright happy ones. Some of it was photo-realistic, and some was abstract and blurred, yet more minimalistic and thought-provoking. Only one large patch on the floor lacked paint. It looked like it had been deliberately avoided.

Lalna looked up to see the spaceman staring at the mural. Xephos's eyes were wide, and his jaw gaped.

"Wow…" The spaceman whispered, jaw slightly agape as cast his eyes around the colorful room.

Lalna felt odd. No one had enjoyed his work before.

Xephos turned to Lalna. "This is amazing! I can't-"

He was cut short when Lalna dismissed him with a careless wave of his hand. "It's nothing. It's terrible. It's just a hobby." The scientist's voice was bitter. "I'm sorry you had to see it."

Xephos wanted to protest. It really_ was_ incredible, but he didn't want to needlessly anger his new friend.

"Right…" he paused awkwardly. The atmosphere in the room oddly tense. "Well, I'm just going to go on a walk, see the sights…" His voice dropped off again.

He was just about to leave the room when Lalna spoke in a flat monotone.

"Take a weapon." He pointed to a display stand. "And the dwarf. He knows the area."

Xephos nodded and grabbed a well-worn iron blade. He glided down the hall to Honeydew's room, uncertain about Lalna's suddenly hostile mood.

"Good morning Honeydew" Xephos poked his head into the room. The dwarf was combing his beard. He had just gotten up.

"Ah, hello Xephos. What's up?"

"Well, I'm heading out for a walk, and was told to take you. Are you up for it?"

Honeydew's face lit up. "Sure! That sounds great" he grabbed his own sword "You know, we're going to have to see about getting you some armor. I don't think that thing you're wearing is going to do much against arrows."

Xephos's eyes widened "Who's going to be shooting at me?!"

Honeydew flashed him a wicked grin "The Skellingtons of course."

Soon after equipping Xephos with some simple leather garb, they left the lab, Honeydew talking animatedly about different types of stones, and their uses. Xephos listened closely, intrigued. He never would've thought simple rocks to be so interesting.

* * *

Lalna watched Xephos walk away with the dwarf through a window. He felt bad about yelling at him, but for Lalna's entire life he had been shunned and punished for his art work. Surely Xephos was just teasing him now. Lalna put the thought out of his head, and yawned. He was_ tired!_ He stretched, and put away the graphs he had been studying.

He gazed up at the colorful ceiling as he fell asleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, the other two had been walking for about fifteen minutes, and Honeydew was winding down from a long tirade against gravel. The path they had been following was becoming slightly overgrown. Xephos suddenly noticed the size of the trees around him.

"How…" he started, gazing up in wonder. This world held much to surprise him.

Honeydew shrugged his shoulders "I'm not sure. It's not a normal thing; they're only this huge in this forest"

Xephos accredited the phenomenon to extra-rich soil of some sort. There was no other way such giants could grow ordinarily. Still, the trees practically glowed with life! He made himself dismiss the spectacular trees, and asked Honeydew a question, "You've told me about every type of stone and ore, but what of the people and…creatures?" He wasn't really comfortable with saying 'monsters'. It made everything seem like fiction. Monsters were not a real thing, but _creatures _could be.

"Well," started Honeydew. "for people there are humans, like you and dwarves, like me. There are also Testificates. They can't really talk with us, but they are intelligent enough to barter. There are passive creatures, and monsters. Generally, we just call them 'mobs'. The bad guys are zombies, spiders…" He kept listing them, but was interrupted by a loud laugh, not too far away.

Honeydew fell silent and drew his sword, silently creeping towards the sound, surprisingly stealthy for his figure. Xephos followed him, attempting the same level of silence. The laughter had come from a nearby clearing. Both Honeydew and Xephos hid behind the same tree. Ten men could've hid behind it with room to spare, so large in diameter it was. Xephos carefully observed the clearing, peeking around the curve of the trunk.

A wooden house stood in the center of the clearing. Two men sat outside around a fire pit, laughing amiably about something. One was blonde, and the other was sitting in the shadows, but it looked like he had brown hair. They both had bows, the blonde's strapped to his back and the other's lying next to him. The blonde had his back to them, so they could see as he quietly reached behind himself and plucked a stick off the ground.

The blonde abruptly jumped up, clubbing the other in the arm lightly with the stick.

"Kill Toby!" he yelled.

The brown-haired one, presumably Toby, clutched his arm in mock agony, and leaned over as he theatrically groaned in fake pain. He suddenly lost his balance.

"Ow!" he complained as he fell off the log he had been sitting on.

The blonde couldn't hold back a chortle. Then he reached out an arm to help his friend up. "I'm sorry Toby." He said kindly "But man-"he stopped in the middle of his sentence "Hang on a sec." he whispered, and dropped Toby back onto the ground.

"Hey!" Toby protested as he fell into the dirt again.

The blonde swung his bow from his back, nocking an arrow and raising it in one fluid motion. He was obviously quite skilled with the handling of his bow.

"Who's there?" he called threateningly. He tightened his grip on the bow. "Show yourselves, and don't make any sudden movements!"

Honeydew smiled wanly at Xephos, and sheathed his sword, motioning that Xephos do the same.

"Just let me do the talking" The dwarf whispered. He seemed to pray for a moment before he left the shelter of the tree. Xephos followed him cautiously.

"Hello there." Honeydew calmly greeted the blonde. He held his hands out open. Toby got up, giving the blonde a dirty look.

"What are your names?" Toby asked.

"I'm Honeydew." The dwarf replied. "And this is Xephos"

The blonde lowered his bow; a friendly smile replaced the menacing glare.

"Hello everybody! I'm Martyn. You can come over here, I won't shoot you." He strapped the bow to his back. Honeydew headed towards Martyn, and Xephos had no choice but to reluctantly follow.

Martyn saw the worried look on the spaceman's face "Don't worry! Honestly, I just wanted to be sure it wasn't that uh… Sips fellow. We had to chase him away with arrows. He wanted to cut down the trees!"

Xephos nodded mutely. He felt sorry for whoever Sips was. He was sure Martyn was a good shot. He followed Martyn to the firepit, and took a seat as he was bid.

"So-" Toby asked "-How did you wind up in the middle of the woods anyway? I know of the dwarfs, but I've never seen you before, Xephos. Where are you from?"

Xephos laughed, "That's going to take quite the explantation."

Martyn pointed at the sun, not yet at the precipice of noon. "Well, we have nothing but time."

Honeydew quickly told the abridged happenings of the past few days, stopping frequently for a gulp of ale. Martyn was impressed.

"Wow." Toby said.

Xephos had a question "What's with all these trees anyway?" he asked

Martyn's face got very serious "that, my friend, is an even longer story "

"We've got nothing but time" Xephos replied.

Martyn looked into the eager, almost childlike faces of the spaceman and the dwarf. There was something special about them.

"Right. Well, long ago, way before this forest had taken root; a small group of people came to a land, far from here. They saw great fields, and rolling hills, so decided to settle it, and live out their simple existences as farmers and lumbermen. Life was unchanged for several generations, but the descendents of the original tribe started to develop special talents. They could call upon the forest to grant them requests, and their fields were always more fertile than those of the others. Other groups than the first had started to join the community, and were nervous and jealous of those with special powers. The unpowered far outnumbered the gifted, and forced those with powers from society. The outsiders created their own life in the forest. The group never grew large, no more than a few families. That was all the forest could support. They lived out their peaceful lives as caretakers of the forest, over generations growing stronger and more alien than the ordinary townsfolk they had left behind. Life was unchanged until a gre-"

"Are you ever going tell them about the trees?" Toby interrupted.

Martyn shot him a look "Of course. Anyway, a great forest grew where those with power lived. Soon, they developed links with the trees, granting both the trees and the people a higher awareness_._"

Both he and Toby made some sort of symbol across their chests.

Martyn continued in a solemn tone. "These people lived this way for many years. Over many generations, distinct traditions developed, until they were far different than the people they had first come from. Once a keeper reached a certain age, they developed a deep bond with a single tree. That tree came first, before any other, and the keeper's tree would grow greater and stronger. When the keeper passed on, they were not truly gone. Their spirit would go into the tree, to live eternally, and give wisdom to future generations. All my family are with their trees, except my father."

His face fell slightly. "But my Homeforest is far from here. If no trees bond with a keeper when they come of age, the keeper is sent out to find their tree elsewhere, for every tree in every forest has the potential to become one of the great ones when the keeper destined for it comes near. It is unusual for a keeper to not find a tree in their Homeforest, though not unheard of. Toby and I didn't find a tree in our home forest, so we left together. We've always been friends, since he was a newborn and I a small child, so we were glad that we didn't have to part ways forever. We traveled for several months, and settled here, a year or so ago. We found our trees here. The forest was normal then, but our presence has bolstered their growth, much like our ancestors had started the First Homeforest long ago."

He seemed finished, but Toby broke in again. "Martyn!" he chided playfully, "You didn't tell them about the One. That's my favorite part!"

Martyn sighed good-naturedly. "Fine, if you insist. The One is an all powerful spirit that a prophet predicted would one day appear when things became most desperate for the Tree-people. The One was innately bonded to all trees, and could heal them with only the slightest effort. He is said to have shown himself when our people were attacked by a human army from the society my people had long left behind. This particular army was from the first settlement in the area that the gifted ones had been cast out of. It had grown into 'Mistral City". The army was made of people called 'Skylords' and it was difficult to defeat one, let alone the entire army! The One drew forth an incredible magic from the forest, and stopped them all. However, he let the city be, on the condition that they leave the woods people alone. Then he vanished. Legend says that he will reincarnate when the world needs him, but I don't buy it. I doubt that the One ever existed in the first place. It's just legend."

A strange heaviness hung over the clearing, which Toby ruined by playfully throwing a clod of dirt at Martyn's head. The blonde dodged it easily and smirked at his younger friend.

"You've ruined it!" Toby accused, not really angry. "Of course he's real. He will return one day."

He blushed slightly under the questioning stares he got from the visitors. "I've, uh… read a lot on the subject. Like every book and scroll or carved piece of bark our tribe had."

Martyn chuckled, and Honeydew huffed in admiration. "I can hardly read." He said. "Not really something you learn in the mines."

Xephos raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment.

For about another hour, The three men and the dwarf laughed, and made conversation, until Toby gasped and pointed at the sky, which was far dimmer than before.

"You guys had better get home before the mobs come out!" he exclaimed.

Honeydew nodded his agreement and quickly got up. He and Xephos made their goodbyes and promises to visit if they were in the area again. Then, just as abruptly, they were off to the lab.

They walked in silence for a ways, when Xephos broke the stillness. "Pretty cool guys" he said.

"Yep" Honeydew agreed "But weird."

Xephos nodded. That pretty much summed it up.

They made it to the lab safely.

**End of Chapter 3**


	4. Chapter 4- Dreams, Not Reality

**Chapter 4**

During all of this, Lalna was at the lab, dreaming. He dreamt he was in his room at his parent's house in Mistral City. He was 14 years old, and his mother was there.

"Lalna, why can't you see sense!?" she screamed. "Forget this art rubbish, and train to be a Skylord like your father! Drawings won't pay the bills!"

Lalna's mother had found sketchbooks and other art supplies that Lalna had bought with some of the money he was meant to be saving for the Skylord academy. She had gathered up all the art stuff she could see, and stuffed it into a bag. Lalna knew he wouldn't see it again, the books, pencils and paints destined for the dump.

He stared at her reproachfully, feeling the burning behind his eyes, but not allowing any tears to fall. The only person that had respected his love for art was his friend Lomadia, but she and her family had moved away last summer. Now he had no one to hide behind, so had to take the limitless anger and disappointment of his family. Every male child and quite a few of the female children in his family had gone to Skylord academy, and the fact that Lalna was so resistant and had instead taken up an interest in artistry was heresy to the family name.

Lalna's mother stopped yelling when she realized he was blocking out the angry roar of her voice and glared at him. "Why can't you appreciate what you have?" she hissed, as she slammed the door to Lalna's bedroom behind her.

Lalna bowed his head, refusing to cry, though his mother had left. He grabbed the only sketchpad she had missed from under his mattress and scribbled furiously. A dark shape took form, and a single teardrop fell onto the paper.

Lalna woke up. He had had the dream far too often to be emotionally affected by it anymore, and was actually far more antagonized by the sketch he had started, only to wake before he could get a real glimpse of it. He was sure that the drawing that eluded him was _meant _to go on the bare patch on his floor, but he never got a clear look at it. He could recall actually drawing it; the entire dream had actually happened before. All too vividly he could remember his mothers angry tone.

That had been the first time he fully realized he wasn't wanted.

Lalna got up, dream already slipping from his mind, and glanced at his watch, which he had left on while he slept. It was early evening, and as if on cue, he heard the spaceman's booming laugh. They must have just returned. Lalna left his room, with the intention of apologizing to Xephos for his rudeness earlier. He followed the faint sound of their voices, past the entrance to the mines and the hallwayo the heavily barricaded door to project Beta. The two guests were in the Dwarf's room, and were deep in conversation.

"Minecraftia is such an amazing place!" Xephos exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's a bit different than life on the, uh… what was it again?" asked Honeydew

"The Enterprise" supplied Xephos. His tone was excited. "I would love to see more of this world. I might stay for awhile, as I don't know if I'll be able to rebuild my pod."

Lalna decided to stop eavesdropping. "Hey guys," he greeted, poking his head through the door. "Did you two have a nice walk?"

Xephos smiled "Yeah, we met those tree worshipers you mentioned. Their names are Martyn and Toby."

Lalna nodded. Those names sounded vaguely familiar.

Xephos quickly recapped their visit, finishing with, "They're pretty nice guys, once they stop trying to shoot you."

Lalna smiled. He recalled his first meeting with those two. It hadn't gone as well.

Xephos's voice got serious. "Lalna, I'm thinking about leaving. I thank you for your hospitality, but there is so much out there to see. In the wonders of space, I'd forgotten just how amazing the worlds can be."

Honeydew broke into what was obviously a much practiced speech. "You're leaving so soon?!" he asked, alarmed. Both the scientist and Xephos stared at him, and Honeydew turned as red as his beard. He looked down at his hands, which were idly fiddling with a piece of stone.

He took a deep breath and met their questioning gazes squarely. "I'm going with you." He said resolutely. "I've got nothing left for me in the mines. I'm meant to follow you. I can feel it."

A wide smile broke out on the spaceman's face "Great!" He exclaimed "I didn't want to go alone!"

He and the dwarf quickly laid out plans for when they would leave, and what supplies they would need. Lalna was glad they had found the path they wanted to take from here, but was also a bit sad. He hadn't realized how lonely he had gotten in his isolation. Still, it was better that they would be gone when Beta was ready… just in case.

They made plans to leave in a week. Life in the lab passed without much incident. The three formed a strong friendship over nights singing, dining, and in Lalna and Xephos's case, tinkering with bits of metal and wire. Xephos made a little robot that would dance across a flat surface when powered, but Lalna had him beat with a tiny force field emitter. Honeydew only succeeded in making a minute pick from the metal, leaving the wires alone. He insisted that his was the best.

When the day came to go their separate ways, none of them were completely dry-eyed, though Honeydew was likely more distraught by the realization that he would lose his supply of dwarf ale. Nevertheless, he insisted he would be fine, and that he was a stronger dwarf than that. The spaceman and the dwarf set out, those bold first steps marking the beginning of a legend. Those steps would be sung about for eons, and this is the noble tale that leads to their glorious triumph.

_(Authors note-A grand ending to a rather ordinary chapter. Don't look at me like that, I had fun. Hope y'all have a wonderful day.)_


	5. Chapter 5- Pink and Brown

_(Author's Note- I really am quite enjoying this rewriting. For any of you that are new to my story, thanks for reading this far! This is the last chapter I believe I'll be revising today (Jan. 21st '15) So if you want to keep reading, go right ahead. However, be prepared for not-spaced-out dialogue and general not quite up to par writing. It's still the same story, I'm not changing anything major, but I was new to writing then. Just so you know. Hope you enjoy the Chapter, as well as the lst few, and have a wonderful day! ~Mage._

**Chapter 5**

It was early morning in the woods, and Martyn awoke while Toby was still snoring softly in bed. The blonde left the cabin quietly, as to not awake his friend, who lay on the bed opposite his.

It was a small cabin, and the beds had only a few feet of space between them. A chest and a wooden crafting table were on the opposite wall, and the door was a few meters from the foot of Toby's bed. Through this door Martyn stealthily crept into the fresh air outside. The bigger trees fluttered their leaves in greeting, and went back to whatever business trees normally attend to.

Martyn didn't really know what to do. Life in the woods was an uneventful affair, and the two made a decent living on the resources available. They had no ambitions to build massive buildings, and were quite content with what they had.

Martyn decided to do what he generally did in the mornings, and carefully strung his bow. He dragged a much abused hay bale from behind the house, leaned a battered wooden target against it, and stood about 75 paces away. He raised the bow, nocked an arrow, drew back the string, and fired. The arrow whipped through the air and hit the dead center of the target, the arrowhead buried a half inch into the wood.

Martyn was an excellent shot.

After scoring a few more perfect shots, and one that fell out of the target, he walked over to the hay bale to retrieve his arrows. He knelt to pick up the single arrow that had fallen out when he heard a crackle in the woods on the other side of the clearing.

He acted quickly. It could be Xephos and the dwarf again- or that miserable Sips! He turned quickly, an arrow already poised to launch.

It wasn't either. There, at the edge of the clearing, and looking extremely shocked, stood a Goddess. Her most striking feature was her flowing, bright pink hair. Her face was like the rising sun, glorious in its beauty.

He nearly dropped his bow.

"Uh… hello," He stammered. "I'm Martyn."

He nearly bowed between his shock and trying to catch his bow before it fell. He had no idea how to act.

She looked at him for a moment, bemused. Then she spoke with (to Martyn's ears) the voice of an angel: "I'm Kaeyi"

A sharp breeze caught the ends of the headband Martyn was wearing, and he noticed the unseasonal chill in the air. Kaeyi was shivering. Martyn gestured to the fire, which was still smoldering from the night before.

"Come over here please." He said. "Sit by the fire, and have something to eat. It's cold out." He quickly built up the fire a bit, before taking a seat on one of the large logs and patting the seat beside him.

It was getting rather chilly, instead of warmer as it should have been this late in spring, so she didn't hesitate long. She gratefully sat on the log beside Martyn.

"Thank you," she said. "I've been lost in the woods for three days now. I wasn't sure I would live to see another sunrise."

Martyn offered her a bowl of steaming mushroom stew leftover from the night before, which he had just reheated. She gladly accepted.

He gave her a few minutes to eat, looking from her face to the fire and back to her face. He eventually asked "How did you come to be in these woods anyway? I've never seen you before."

She looked upset for a millisecond, but Martyn was sure he was seeing things; Her face quickly smoothed into a smile.

"Just exploring, but a few days ago, my stuff was destroyed by a Creeper. I barely avoided getting blown up myself. Without a map or any supplies, I was a sitting duck out there."

Martyn winced in sympathy "I detest Creepers."

After the ice was broken, the two talked and laughed like old friends, despite the fact that they had just met.

A few hours later, Toby got up, and left the cabin. Understandably, he was a bit confused when he saw Martyn and an unknown girl sitting by the fire pit together. They had their backs to him, but he could see that they were holding hands. Though his confusion was understandable, he didn't say anything. Such is life in the woods

* * *

About five or six miles east, another notable partnership was forged.

Sips was pacing among the normal sized trees near his cabin, visions of grandeur running through his head. He paused for a moment to glance at the sky through a gap in the leaves above, when something charged onto the path a few feet in front of him.

Sips couldn't get a good look at first, only that it was large and dirty. The figure paused mid-charge when it noticed Sips, so quickly that it plowed directly into the ground.

"Oh" Sips remarked blandly. Emotion quickly creeped into his voice. "Oh God. What the hell happened to you?" He was fairly shocked. The thing lying in front of him was in fact a man, smudged with lots of dirt with many small scratches along his body.

Sips could painfully see too much of said body. The stranger was clad in only a loincloth.

The stranger twitched anxiously and muttered some gibberish about a village and too many drinks.

Sips laughed nervously "I'll say." He knelt beside his knapsack, and rummaged through it.

The stranger watched him cautiously like an animal, twitching less. Sips pulled out a pair of patched leather trousers, and thrust them at the lunatic.

"For God's sake, put these on."

The stranger mutely followed Sip's orders, while Sips turned away. When he turned back, the man had them on- backwards. Sips sighed and looked at the man, who looked slightly less delirious.

"Food?" the stranger asked in a cracked rasp. Sips dug in the pack again, and gave a loaf of bread to the stranger.

_"__This schmuck better pay me back."_ He thought.

The man dug into the bread like a starving animal.

"Shiiit…" Sips whispered quietly, slightly awed. The man had already finished the bread. He looked much better now, just a bit battered from the woods.

"What's your name?" Sips asked. He wasn't really expecting the man to respond, but he figured he should try anyway. The man took a deep breath, and concentrated, as though trying to remember.

"Sjin" he said finally.

"And how did this happen again?" Sips asked.

Sjin looked down, and launched into his story. His voice was weak at first, but quickly gained strength. "I can't remember much, but I lived in good sized town, working as an architect. I was fired from the biggest contract of my career, and I stopped by the pub to drown my woes. I had a few drinks of that new dwarf whiskey, and…" he paused. "That's when it gets foggy. The barkeeper threw me out for my disruptive behavior, and the spirits were burning in my veins. I don't know what's up with Dwarf brewed stuff, but I was seeing things, and hearing things. I was sure a monster was chasing me! Instead of going home, I ran into the woods. I don't know why, and I'm not sure how long ago that was. I guess I went a little crazy." He chuckled uneasily.

Sips nodded. The story made sense. He had tried the dwarf whisky the only time he visited Mistral city. It wasn't exactly light stuff, and he had consequently been banned from the entire city for the rest of his life. He couldn't quite remember what he had done, but it had to have been something pretty horrible.

It sounded like this guy had nowhere to go, and was definitely in need of some sort of help. Exploiting him would be a good deed!

"Well Sjin, if I remember correctly, you said you were an architect?" Sjin nodded.

"Great!" Sips enthused. "I need help building some stuff, so you could come and work for me." He smiled enticingly. His grin was more scary than reassuring; he exposed far too many teeth

_"__He could have just left me here to drown in my own vomit, but he stopped to help me."_ Sjin thought _"__And now he's offering me work? What do I have to lose?"_

He nodded. "Sure, there's nothing left for me at my town, even if I could find it."

Sips turned and walked briskly along the path back home.

"Well follow me then!" He shouted over his shoulder. Sjin hurried to catch up, and Sips smiled all the way to his base.

Labour usually didn't come so cheap!

**_End of Chapter 5_**


	6. Chapter 6- Chips of Change

_(Author's Note- I'm surprised at how much this one changed. I moved entire paragraphs about, and everything! The sentence structure was so different to how I write now, I found it difficult to find myself within the words. I always manage to put a lot of myself into the story, and when I write it often reflects my current mood and views. I have grown in the time I have written this, which is going on a year now. (I came up with the concept long before I uploaded.) I have gone through depression and major life events like a family member's death. That gives a lot more meaning to the earlier chapters here where I threw around such concepts lightly. Now, I find it very enlightening to see how I was then, and how I change things to reflect who I am now, to an extent. This whole process means much more than I thought it did. I'm learning things about myself I never knew before.)_

**Chapter 6**

Lalna peered into the embryo tank, unable to believe his eyes. The specimen was about a week from term, and despite the Enderman and Villager genes in his DNA, physically appeared to be fully human. The only notable difference was the height of the specimen, a few centimeters more than the average for a human. Since Lalna had been so involved in Beta, he hadn't shaved since the dwarf and the spaceman had left, two weeks ago.

He stroked the resulting beginnings of his beard thoughtfully as he prepared his voice recorder for the day's log.

Lab Log, week three, day 1 Lalna

_For information first, I have examined the Beta specimen thoroughly, and have determined that it has the physical appearance of an approximately 15 year old male human. It is about ¼ Enderman, but shows no physical characteristics of that heritage as of yet, besides being slightly taller than I would expect. That could possibly be due to the lack of stress on its spine. It has been exhibiting healthy mental activity, and very active dream sequences, which suggests an intelligent and receptive mind. I have tried to transmit some basic lessons and information to its brain, via electrical pulses, but I have no way of knowing yet if it worked. A few things I have sent include language and terminology, as an adult brain is not as reactive to learning new languages as a young one, and communication will be a massive asset in future studies. Beta is not displaying any chromosomal precursors of sudden mutation like Alpha, and that is definitely a blessing._

_In unrelated news, I have spotted several new people in the area. I haven't had contact with any of them, but I'm concerned that I might have to move my lab in the future. I've built in the middle of nowhere to get away from civilization, but it seems to have followed me. I don't want anyone to get hurt by some folly of my own. I don't want that on my conscience._

_Xephos and Honeydew are doing well. They've discovered Lomadia's favorite way of communicating; owls. One of her owls, not her favorite pet one, but another was blown wayward by a storm, and found itself at their house rather than my lab. Lomadia and the other two began to correspond, and she agreed to let them use an owl to speak to me. Xephos sent a letter, saying that he and Honeydew were getting settled in some woods east of here. Xephos wants to see everything Minecraftia has to offer before reuniting with his people. I hope they visit the lab again. These halls grow quiet and lonely without them._

_Now, since I am the only one who will listen to these, I would like to confess a secret worry. Perhaps saying it to this recorder will help ease my mind. I have a feeling that what I'm doing, creating hybrid life, is not exactly moral. This one will have at least human intelligence, if not greater based on its brain activity. I don't want to become personally invested, but it is difficult, knowing that this is a human, or mostly human life that I am creating. I must erase these worries from my mind. This is for science, and I can't let anything obstruct it. _

_I have come too far to stop now._

End of Recording

Lalna sighed, giving the tank one last, long look as he put the tape into a drawer alongside a score of others.

He left the room, shut the heavy door behind him, and locked it. He walked along the hall, stopping beside a wooden door identified by a sign as "Project Immortal".

'Beta' was more flashy and impressive, but 'Immortal' was of a much greater scope.

Lalna pushed open the door and walked over to a cage on the far wall. It held several bats, hanging upside-down from the bars. Next to the cage on one side was a black box, about a square foot in volume, with a heavy glass lid. A tube connected to the wall, and lead to this box. On the other side of the cage was a computer, which hummed quietly. A gargantuan flatscreen covered most of one of the walls.

Lalna sat in front of the computer, and began to look through a large file, all of it in a complex programming code. Occasionally he would frown and edit a few lines. All was silent, save the soft purr of the computer and the muted click of the keyboard. Even the bats were still.

A few hours later Lalna leaned back in the chair, at last satisfied with the program. He pressed one final key, 'Enter'. A small metal chip fell into a dish from a chute in the wall.

Lalna carefully pulled on a pair of gloves, loaded the miniscule chip into a syringe, and opened the cage door. He reached in carefully, and gently grabbed one of the sleeping bats. It fluttered its wings in alarm until Lalna quickly injected the chip into the back of the creature's neck. There was a mild tranquilizer in the shot as well, and the bat was almost immediately in a sleepy stupor. As Lalna had hoped, the bat's vital signs showed up on the large monitor that occupied the entire wall to the right of the doorway. The chip was using a powerful wireless signal to convey the information. The animal's heart rate was slightly slowed from the tranquilizer, but otherwise, it was in perfect health. Lalna turned and checked the number of bats remaining in the cage, which was five.

Lalna opened the glass lid on the box, and gingerly put the dozing bat in it. He closed and latched the lid, making sure the seal was airtight, and then pressed a button on the side of the box. A clear, gaseous neurotoxin seeped in through the hose that was attached to the box from the wall.

On the monitor, the bat's heartbeat slowed, and then stopped altogether as the gas did its deadly work. Lalna held his breath. Now it was time to see if the day's coding had made any difference. For an immeasurable moment, nothing happened, and he feared another failure.

After a breathless few seconds the bat's corpse glowed, and then faded away. Lalna turned his attention to the cage just in time to see a sixth shape taking form. It glowed brightly, and soon, a very shocked bat was shivering there, glaring at Lalna. Resting on the bottom black box, a small metal chip glimmered faintly. A wide smile covered Lalna's face. At last it had worked!

He quickly sat in front of the computer, and made a few adjustments to the code. Again, he pressed enter, and a new chip fell into the dish. However, instead of staying there, it flew into the air and dove into Lalna's neck. All he felt was a sharp pinch for a moment. Then his eyes widened. On the big monitor, a tiny icon of himself along with his heartbeat, and his overall health on a scale of 1-20 appeared. (He was at 19, the result of landing a bit to hard from a jetpack flight). The significance of this was enormous. If Lalna were to die somehow, he would reappear next to where he had last slept.

Theoretically, he couldn't die!

Lalna dashed off to record his achievement, and in his haste he forgot to shut down the program.

As he recorded his scientific triumph, millions of the tiny chips were flying into the air. They could easily fit under even the tiniest cracks beneath doors, and so they left the lab, seeking human or human like life all over the planet.

The world would never be the same.

* * *

Deep in the woods, Martyn and Kaeyi were sitting under one of the countless massive trees of the forest. Martyn was telling her the legends of his people, and Kaeyi listened with a huge grin on her face. The two had become rather close in the time since Kaeyi had appeared. In fact, Martyn was thinking about inducting her into his people's lifestyle, if the trees were willing. In the stories, ungifted folk could be given the powers if a tree took a liking to them. The tree would bond with the person, much like the bonding between a keeper and their tree. However, such an occurrence was very rare, seeing as normal people generally lacked the empathy to relate with a tree, and trees found most ungifted humans beneath their standards.

The tree they rested under was in fact Martyn's tree, standing tall and proud. Every once in a while, it would gently brush its consciousness against Martyn's just to say that all was well. It didn't oppose allowing Kaeyi in the forest, and indeed admired her gentle way with plant life and high level of empathy.

Martyn and Kaeyi simultaneously slapped at the back of their necks. Martyn grinned and caught Kaeyi's eye.

"Stupid bugs."

She smiled, and shifted slightly to rest her head on his shoulder. "So, tell me more about those powers."

A short walk away, Toby sat on his bed inside a small newly built cabin in the clearing. Kaeyi and Martyn had the old one to themselves now.

Toby sighed heavily as he thought about how much things had changed in the past few weeks. He wasn't jealous that Martyn had a girlfriend or anything; he just never spent any time with Martyn anymore. They had been friends since infancy; Martyn had practically been his older brother.

Apparently Martyn didn't have the time for old friends anymore.

Toby was trying to read a book, but couldn't concentrate. All he could think about was how he had left home to follow his friend, like he always had, only to be pushed aside by some girl. It was all he had thought about for the last few weeks. He wasn't resentful of Kaeyi per se, he was just _sad_. More than regular sadness, deeper than that. The pain inside kept him from sleeping and sapped his will to do anything. His thoughts constantly wandered, and his mind traveled dark paths. He had been like this before, in fact he was rather prone to attacks of glumness like this. Before, Martyn always noticed and knew what to say or do to make him feel better.

Now, Martyn rarely spoke to him.

It didn't help that his tree was getting weaker for some reason, and he had no clue what was wrong with it. Its desperate fight to survive drained him of any remaining energy, making him feel ill and guilty that he couldn't help.

A painful sting on the back of his neck combined with all of the stress bottled up inside triggered a very uncharacteristic tantrum. The book he squeezed in shaking hands was abruptly flung across the small room, smashing into the wall with a thud.

He walked over to the book and bent to pick it up. He trembled with desolation, and a lone tear streaked down his face.

What had he done to deserve such misery?

* * *

A few miles away, a comfortable little house was nestled among some hills in a clearing of the same forest, though the trees were remarkably smaller.

Xephos and Honeydew were heading out to their mine when the chips found them.

"Ow!" Honeydew exclaimed.

Xephos rubbed the back of his own neck. "Maybe it's some stinging gnats or something." He suggested "We should get underground. They won't bother us there."

"Alright." The dwarf agreed.

The two had only been mining for about an hour when Xephos decided to leave. He needed to check on the tiny farm they had started, and also wanted chop down a few trees for lumber. Honeydew remained underground for a few more hours, happily mining away. The hungry rumbles of his stomach was too much to ignore and he was preparing to leave when the telltale hiss of an angry Creeper surprised him.

He reacted quickly, turning around in a microsecond, but it was too late. The Creeper had already swollen up, and Honeydew didn't have enough time to do anything other than instinctively covering his face.

"OH GOD N-"

The creeper detonated, leaving a large crater where Honeydew had stood. The mangled body of the dwarf flew into the air. It landed with a sickening crunch, his eyes already blank and unaware. His final breath whistled between his teeth as spark of life left him.

* * *

East of there, Sjin was digging with a nearly broken shovel. He had an enormous order to fill by the end of the week, of dirt no less! The buildings Sips wanted would be challenging to build, and it was going to take awhile to get the materials. Until then, Sips had him doing manual labor. Sjin couldn't really complain; it was better than clinging to life deliriously in the woods, though he wished Sips would let him out of the sun more often.

As it was, he was sweating too hard to feel the chip plunge into his spine.

Sips slumbered peacefully in a hammock, strung between two leafy shade-trees. He brushed away the discomfort of the chip clumsily, without waking.

* * *

"-O!" yelled Honeydew, sitting bolt upright in bed. He looked around, confused. He could remember the pain of the blast all too well, but he seemed physically unharmed. He wasn't even hungry anymore.

Xephos leaned through the doorway. "What's wrong?" He asked "And how did you get in here without me seeing you?"

Honeydew shrugged helplessly, still unable to wrap his mind around what had just happened. Eventually he got out of the bed, and beckoned to Xephos.

"Follow me." He said slowly.

He made his way out of the house and down into the mine, on the lookout for any mobs. He was more wary now than he had ever been before. He stopped at the crater where he had blown up, and pointed with a shaking hand.

"I died right there."

His voice was oddly blank, devoid of emotion besides a nearly imperceptible tremble.

Xephos watched as his friend climbed into the hole and picked up his pickax, which was on the bottom among a few ingots of metal. The dwarf crushed the tiny chip underfoot before either of them saw its faint glimmer.

Honeydew held the pickax up to the torchlight to inspect the damage the blast had caused. There was a sizeable chunk taken out of the wooden handle, and the iron head had a network of hairline fractures spanning across the surface. It wouldn't stand up to much more mining.

Honeydew felt another sting on his neck, like the one he had felt a few hours ago before he had started to mine. He rubbed the back of his neck, but the discomfort had already faded.

He looked at his hand, surprised at the minute drop of blood on his fingertip, and wiped it on his trousers. He left the mine without a word, Xephos a step behind.

Both harbored their own secret worries.

**End of Chapter 6**


	7. Chapter 7- Alarms

_(Author's Note- Finally getting back around to uploading edited chapters! I ended up taking out a whole chapter here. It was the Toby Suicide chapter. Really, it was just tasteless, dealt with themes that were simply too dark for the story at this stage, and finally, just wasn't really advancing the plot in any way. The story is honestly changed for the better without it. So, here, have this. Leave a like and a review if that's your thing, and have a wonderful day! ~Mage)_

**Chapter 7**

After recording his success with the bats, Lalna had walked into the 'Immortal' room, to test out a new idea. He wanted to see if he could tweak the code to allow the user to respawn with all of their things. Then he had realized that he hadn't shut down the program. He managed to stop the creation of new chips, but could find no way to deactivate the ones that already escaped. After mashing the 'x' button a few times, he decided that perhaps saving a few lives wouldn't be so bad. He just wouldn't be able to implement the new ideas. If he erased the hard drive he could probably stop it, but then he would lose everything he had already done. He elected to let it be.

That had been three days ago.

Lalna awoke to the sound of urgent beeping coming from down the hall. He threw on his lab coat over his nightclothes and dashed down the corridor. He quickly located the source- the Beta room. A flashing light above the doorway fueled his budding panic. He frantically pulled the levers and barged through the doorway.

The beeping came from a single monitor, and a flashing message read:

[Specimen Ready]

Lalna sighed with relief. The last time that urgent beeping had awoken him, the Alpha specimen had already destroyed the tank and half of the lab. The alarm was deafening, so Lalna turned it off, and then studied the tank. The specimen did seem to be ready despite being a few days early. Lalna shrugged and started the final stage of the experiment.

First, he drained the remaining blue liquid from the tank. That part was quick, and soon the tank was dry. Lalna disassembled the sides of the tank, so the subject was lying on a table, connected to a host of machines. Lalna strapped the specimen to it, and then rotated the table 75 degrees so the specimen was almost standing. Lalna took out all of the cables except the ones keeping the lungs and the heart working, and inserted a new one to deliver a sedative. He put a tiny sensor underneath its skin, and the vital signs of the specimen popped onto the monitor. All seemed to be well. Lalna carefully dressed it in a hospital gown.

Lalna closely examined the specimen again, and took detailed notes

Beta Lab Log Three Lalna

Time: 0315. The specimen is completely formed and has been removed from the embryonic tank. The specimen is male, 1.9 meters tall, with an armspan of 2 meters. Like the armspan, handspan and foot size are both slightly larger than one would expect. It has pale purple eyes, tan skin and well-defined muscles. Its vital signs are good and it shows healthy mental activity. Besides the eyes and slightly elongated proportions, it seems to be fully human at first glance. This has been far more successful that Alpha. I will now completely remove it from the machines and see how it does.

End

Finally, Lalna prepared to remove the final tubes that kept the specimen alive. He carefully took them out, and turned off the machines. The specimen's heart faltered twice without the assistance, and Lalna's own dropped, but then the beat recovered strongly. The slender chest rose without anything powering it.

Lalna nearly cheered, but caught himself. That would be unprofessional, and the specimen would be awakening soon without the sedative in its system.

Indeed, the pale eyes began to flutter open. Lalna quickly undid the straps that held him to the vertical table, to prevent the specimen from panicking. He took a step back, and watched it. The specimen looked puzzled. It raised a hand to eye level and studied it closely. He took an unsteady step forward from the table he leant against, and noticed Lalna for the first time. It looked at him, and then fell to the ground. It shook wildly, and Lalna was shocked, not knowing what was happening, or how to help.

The specimen stopped shaking, and held its head up, glaring at Lalna. It growled gutturally, and tried to drag itself towards him. The eyes were filled with hatred, and seemed darker, as though storm clouds gathered there. As quickly as the episode has started, those evil eyes went blank, and the specimen started to shake again. The monitor shrilled an alarm, and the specimen went still. There was no heartbeat detected. But as Lalna unfroze and prepared to resurrect, it resumed again.

It opened its eyes, pale once more. It occurred to the scientist that the wide pastel eyes were like a child's. Purple, child eyes in a man's face. Lalna decided to try and take things in stride, and helped it up.

"Hello. Can you understand me?" Lalna spoke softly

It nodded, which meant that the memory transfer had worked, at least as far as linguistics continued speaking "Excellent, I'm-" he didn't really know what to say. 'Creator' sounded strange, and 'Father' wasn't right either.

Lalna coughed. "I'm your host." he said. "Now how do you feel?"

It was long while until the Specimen spoke for the first time. He seemed to struggle with the unfamiliar sensation of speech. When he did speak, it was with a deep, strangely accented voice.

"I'm fine… you are..." he paused, and searched through the memories he had that he couldn't explain. "You are Lalna. You are a scientist. I am Rythian." He frowned "I don't know what I am."


	8. Chapter 8-Electrifying

**Chapter 8**

_(Authors Note- Updated version of Chapter 9. Only minor edits for clarity and ease of reading. Leave a like/review if that's your thing, and have a wonderful day! ~Mage.)_

Chapter 9

(Authors Note- Hey guys! I'm uploading a day early because I will not have an opportunity tomorrow. Progress on the later parts of the story has slowed a bit, but I managed to write three chapters this week, making a total of 29 so far. Thank you for the reviews and thank you for reading my story. This has gotten to be something, at last, and it makes me feel like I'm capable of more than the depressing shorts I usually write (not for this site). I love writing for you guys, and you are all truly great. Have a wonderful day and enjoy the story!)

Rythian stared at the scientist. He was a bit shorter than Rythian, and much paler. He had yellow-no, it's blonde. He had blonde hair. Rythian looked at the room around him. Strange machines lined the walls. "Where am I?" he asked

Lalna smiled reassuringly "You are in a safe place." The smile seemed false, but Rythian wasn't yet a good judge of people. Rythian was confused. He had strange, fuzzy thoughts. He was running through tall golden stalks- Grass. He was chasing a fuzzy beast- dog. Scraping his knee and crying at the feeling- pain. He gave a woman a hug-mother. But he had never done any of these things. They were not his memories.

He suddenly felt a jolt of that feeling, pain, but it was far more intense than his memory supplied. It stabbed through the back of his skull and burned behind his eyes. He felt it paralyze his legs and his hands contorted into useless claws. His eyes narrowed, and he saw everything through a cloudy haze. He wheezed for breath, and then he was falling…

"Whoa there." Lalna caught Rythian, whose knees had started to buckle. "Still a bit dizzy, huh?" The scientist's voice was falsely cheerful. He was actually very worried. It seemed the specimen was not in such good health after all. Its mouth worked uselessly for a moment, and then he went completely limp. The monitor was silent , not screaming its alarm, so he wasn't dying.

Lalna left the room, with Rythian on a stretcher. He took the specimen down a few halls, to a large room with a concrete and reinforced glass chamber, just in case Rythian turned violent. It was simple and comfortable inside, with a bed, and some books, a table and a sofa. It wasn't meant to be a prison, just a place to keep the subject until there were more permanent plans. Lalna quickly drew some blood, put Rythian in the bed, locked the chamber door, and went to run some tests.

* * *

The sun rose a few days later, finding Lalna bent over a microscope. He couldn't explain his findings, despite running several tests and spending countless hours observing Rythian's behavior.

Lalna had extracted Rythian's DNA from a skin clipping he had taken when he drew the blood, that first night. He had only just looked at it when it disintegrated, which was unfortunate and inexplicable in itself, but wasn't the cause of Lalna's confusion. What puzzled him more was what happened after that.

The DNA then reformed, like nothing had happened. Lalna observed that the sample followed a clock. For about an hour, it seemed to have completely normal activity, and then it would tear a little and rejoin back together many times for about 11 hours. Then, all at once, it would tear utterly apart, only to be violently flung back together. That last step would be fatal if the DNA didn't rejoin, but as it did, Rythian survived the episodes. However, his heart would stop, just as though he had died. He would pass out every 12 hours or so and then suddenly recover. It took between fifteen and thirty minutes for the specimen to regain consciousness.

The pain this process would cause was inconceivable to Lalna. Literally, the specimen's body was torn apart, and then thrown back together, over and over again.

Even more of a puzzle was the mental activity. Generally during the worst of the DNA episodes, the specimen's mental activity would change completely. When that happened, the eyes would grow darker or lighter. It seemed that the different hues signified different states of mind. One was more tolerant, and the other was very aggressive. There were only those two so far, and no more had appeared in the past several days. However, this didn't always happen during the DNA tear. Sometimes, it would just happen without any warning. This also caused the specimen pain and loss of consciousness, but not to the extremes shown in the DNA process. He also recovered much more quickly. The specimen didn't seem to have contact with the other personality sharing his headspace, but knew that it existed. Lalna had told him in an attempt to use hypnotherapy to control the dueling personalities.

It was the hostile personality that Lalna was trying to understand now. Over the past few days, the more aggressive personality was in control more often. It seemed to be the dominant one. When it was in control, the specimen had darker eyes. They were still a shade of purple, but were the dangerous violet of an angry storm. His eyes were furious and deadly, but still seemed to be oddly innocent and childish. It had a chilling effect.

The aggressive personality couldn't speak the first few days, only growl or roar half-words. In time it had learned to articulate, and was actually a quite convincing speaker. It had tried to sweet talk Lalna into letting him 'stretch his legs outside of the room', and Lalna had only just resisted because he wasn't sure that he would survive the experience if the specimen attacked. The specimen was filling out already, and taller than Lalna by at least 6 inches.

When Lalna didn't let him out, the specimen pounded on the glass and screamed obscenities, still to no avail. Now he spent most of the time on the bed or the sofa, deep in thought. Occasionally he would get up and pace. When it was the milder personality, the specimen would talk to Lalna through the glass. He wasn't happy about being captive, but he wasn't violent. He would also read, or draw with crayon on the paper Lalna had given him. Lalna wouldn't give him anything sharper than that.

Lalna didn't know what to make of it. Nothing could seem to keep the agreeable personality around longer, or the aggressive one at bay. He had tried several methods, including pills, and various sorts of therapy. A note next to the microscope read "shock treatment tomorrow" He had written it yesterday. He wanted to put it off, because he didn't want to be cruel. His way of rationalizing the tests he had to perform was that he had no choice. He had caused this poor being unimaginable pain just by giving it life. He would fix it. He had too.

He sighed with apprehension. This wasn't going to be easy. He put on thick padded armor he always wore when visiting the specimen, and grabbed a tranquilizer gun, in case things went south.

One of the computers on the counter beeped, and Lalna glanced at it. He smiled; the specimen was sleeping, and its mental activity was changing into its nonaggressive state. That would make this slightly easier. Lalna pushed a button on the wall, and a gas filled the room. It wasn't anything harmful, just a slight sedative to prevent it from awaking for 20 minutes or so. It would knock a normal person out for an hour, but things like that were not as effective on the specimen. As soon as the room was clear of the gas, Lalna hurried in towing some machinery.

He dragged the specimen from the bed, and into a chair. It slumped over, its head slamming against the table. Its eyelids fluttered, and Lalna panicked. He hurriedly secured it to the chair with several plastic cables, and bound its hands together. By the time the specimen fully came to, he had several wires connected to his arms and chest. There was a small metal box these wires connected to, and the box in turn was plugged into the wall.

Lalna was somewhat sweaty. He had barely connected the specimen to the box when it blinked its pale eyes open. "Huh…?" it whispered, looking at its shackles with confusion.

Lalna smiled. "Good morning Rythian." He greeted. He made sure to use the name it had given itself, as it became quite touchy when referred to as "It" or "Specimen". Lalna supposed he would be offended too. He didn't like to call him "Rythian" when it wasn't necessary, because if he got too personally involved, it would affect his judgment. This was for science after all.

"Lalna, why do you insist on holding me here against my will? This is a discussion we have had many times. You lie when you say you're my host. You hold me prisoner in this cell, and now you've actually tied me up."

Lalna winced. Though he knew the binding was necessary, he disliked it also. "Don't worry friend, it's in the name of science. I will fix your problems"

Rythian frowned "I'm not sure I can call you a friend."

Lalna sighed. "Rythian, you know that you have another person in your head with you. You know that he hates me with a passion, and you know he takes control, and would kill me as soon as look at me." His tone was like that of a teacher scolding an errant child. "That is why the bindings are necessary."

Rythian scowled at condescending tone but before he could respond, a great shaking seized him. He shouted a garbled word and his head whipped back and forth, an ungodly howl erupting from his throat. His eyes started to flicker between light and dark, and the binds were taut as he pulled against them.

Lalna was shocked. He glanced at his watch, where a 12 hour countdown had reached 0:00. He swore under his breath; he hadn't been watching the time, and this was the big 12-hour-episode. Rythian suddenly went limp, and Lalna watched anxiously. When at last Rythian raised his head, Lalna breathed a sigh of relief. Though the specimen revived every time, it was still stressful to witness.

But now his eyes were very dark, almost black. They flickered to pale one last time, and Rythian shuddered "Why don't you just kill me?" he asked in a cracked voice "Or do you like my pain?" His eyes closed and he slumped over.

Lalna felt for a pulse, but found nothing. The silence stretched on for minutes, and Lalna settled into his chair to wait. Just as Lalna relaxed, Rythian took a heaving breath and violently bolted upright. His eyes were dark as pitch.

"You scum!" He shouted. His voice echoed off of the walls, nearly deafening. Rythian snarled offences at Lalna, who paid no mind. The bindings were stretched dangerously tight as Rythian struggled against them.

Lalna picked up a small remote that lay on top of the box. He pressed the only button. Rythian was roaring a string of curses when the current ripped through him. His back arched, and his eyes widened. They turned lighter.

"Why Lalna…?" he panted. Then his eyes darkened again. Fury replaced confusion. "You dirty scientist!" he accused. "You will pay in blood!"

Lalna calmly stood up, and though he was terrified inside, his hands were steady. He administered a large dose of sedative through an arm port to Rythian, who thrashed and glared at him with hateful eyes until he was out. Lalna knew that despite the size if the dose, it wouldn't last long. Like the gas, the injected sedative wore off quicker on Rythian than an ordinary human.

Lalna acted quickly, untying the specimen, and detaching the wires. He grabbed the box, and left the room with everything. He secured the door, double checking the lock. He drew up everything the room's sensors had recorded, and recorded what he had observed. For the rest of the day, he thoroughly examined everything, but none of it held the answers. He still had no clue how Rythian's DNA could repair itself, or why he had two personalities. Only further testing could answer those questions.


	9. Chapter 9- Violet Clouds

**Chapter 9**

_(Author's Note- Updated version of Chapter 9, now with more mildly graphic violence! Just a heads up if that sort of thing bothers you. Yeah... Hope you enjoy! Leave a like/review if that's your thing, and have a wonderful day!_

Alarms blared through the Lab, again tearing Lalna from the grasp of sleep. He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him why the alarms were shrieking. The only way they would go off like that is if the observation chamber had been forced open- or if something had broken its way out.

He rushed to his armory first, the alarms echoing in his ears. The small room was poorly stocked. He could have developed better weapons but had simply neglected to. Even the simple laser gun prototypes he had been working on before Beta were out of charge. As it was, he only had a bow and a few arrows. His shots would have to count. A dented iron chest plate hung on the wall. Lalna regretted not bothering to develop any stronger alloys, but he had no time to prepare further. He grabbed the bow and threw on the chestplate, then charged out of the armory.

A newly installed screen on one of the walls showed a CCTV's live feed of the chamber Rythian had been held in. Lalna expected to see that the door had been forced, but what he saw was far more alarming. Shards of glass covered the floor, just grainy distortions on the screen. All of the concrete from one side had been reduced to rubble.

Suddenly he heard a crash at the end of the hall. He turned quickly to face the noise. There had been a thick iron door barricading the majority of the lab from the Beta wing. Something behind it had thrown it from its frame, and it was now just a twisted hunk of smoldering metal. The wall surrounding it had fragmented into thousands of tiny pieces thrown outward from the blast. The specimen stood behind the rubble, just a shadow in front of leaping flames. The only visible feature was his eyes, glowing softly in the dark.

"I said that you would pay Lalna" Rythian rasped. He must have inhaled smoke from the fires that flared behind him. The heat emanating from the inferno was so intense; Lalna wondered how Rythian could stand so near it. It didn't even seem like ordinary fire, but stronger somehow, in essence more than just fire. A wave of heat hit the scientist. It somehow held a chill that stood the hair on his neck on end.

Lalna forced his shaking hands still. There was no denying the terror in his gut.. He tried to raise the bow, but Rythian darted forward a few steps, hands in front of him. A pulse of air lifted Lalna off of his feet, and he flew back into the wall on the opposite end of the hallway. The force had hit him directly in the chest. Despite the armor he felt something crack in his chest, and where he struck the wall, a building pressure in his lower back that suddenly rushed from him like air from a punctured balloon. Small bits of rubble caught in the blast clattered off the wall around him. A sharp fragment of stone cut a gash in his leg. A larger piece dented his chestplate, crushing his torso. His head struck the stone last, and his vision blurred. There was no other explanation for the way Rythian seemed to be in one place one moment, and then half way down the hallway the next.

The pressure pining Lalna to the wall disappeared, and he slid to the ground with a grunt. His arms and legs wouldn't respond to his commands, and his face slammed onto the stone floor. The lens of his goggles shattered. Most of the glass stayed in the lense, but a shard of glass was forced into his left eye. Half of his vision faded away in a cloud of red, and he felt a warm trickling down his cheek. He felt oddly disconnected, unable to feel the pain he knew should rack him. Another piece of glass fell from the frame onto the floor.

He tried to speak up but he could not utter a sound. His lungs felt heavy and wouldn't take in any air. He lay gasping like a grounded fish. The breaths he could take were shallow, and tasted of iron. He could only watch in horror through his non-blinded eye as Rythian took a few steps closer and laughed manically.

"I have powers, Lalna. Powers you never imagined." The already eerie glow from his eyes intensified, and his outstretched hands were haloed in a ring of purple fire.

Lalna found he could move his own hands, if only slightly. He tried to cover his face, as if that would protect him. Something ground together in his shoulder and he whimpered, spots of pain blinding him further. Everything was blood. He could feel as it left his body, slowly pooling around him. It was all he could see, and he could smell. He quivered like one of the bats he experimented on, and indeed, the fear he felt was primal; it was fear of the unknown.

Rythian chuckled again, eyeing the scientist coldly. He was enjoying the shift of power.

" I despise you. Death is too merciful" Rythian's voice rang out, unnaturally loud. With every word he took a long stride forward. When he stopped he was only ten feet from the scientist and his entire being was surrounded in shimmering energy. "But it's the best I can do. It's time to die, Lalna." He lifted his hands up, the swirling fire gathering into a deadly ball.

Lalna's mind was nothing but raw panic. He knew that even with the experimental immortal chip in his neck he could die if the chip was destroyed before his heart stopped, or if it malfunctioned somehow, which was more likely than he liked to admit, as the program was still very buggy and unreliable. That would be it, game over. If he could move, he'd throw himself to this creature's feet and beg for mercy.

Then a shred of sanity broke through his haze of terror. Rythian was in control, yes and Lalna would probably die, seeing as he was halfway there anyway. But he would face his death with bravery. He tried to push himself up, but his arms collapsed, unable to support the weight he put on them. The grinding in his shoulder was worse this time. Everything went black for a moment, and he shrunk into himself. Something flooded him, not quite strength, but a insatiable will to survive. He took as deep a breath as his heavy lungs would allow and forced his good eye to meet Rythian's glowing ones. He stared at the specimen in defiance, unable to speak but packing as much of that will into it as he could.

Rythian's dark eyes widened and his jaw went slightly slack. He doubled over as though he had been punched. The moan of an animal in pain seemed to tear itself through his throat. He closed his eyes and shuddered. The eyes opened, lighter than they had been before. The powerful aura surrounding him vanished, and he fell to his knees like a puppet cut loose from its strings. The fires burning behind him lost the tremendous strength they had burned at before. They weren't very bright, so the only significant light was the distant electrical shine, and the faint glow from Rythian's eyes.

He looked at Lalna, his gaze soft and weary. "I don't really like you any better than he does. I tried to stop him before because I didn't want blood and destruction on my hands, but I couldn't. If you hadn't made him hesitate, I doubt you would be alive right now. His pause was all that let me seize control."

He walked towards Lalna, who drew his head back, eyes clouded. Rythian mistook the movement for a sad attempt to put up a fight. He raised one eyebrow. "You know that if you try to stop me, he might take control again. That won't go well for you."

Lalna barely nodded, numbness folding comfortably around him. Rythian stood above him. His hands glowed again, but it wasn't the same fiery glow as before. Instead a luminous lavender mist drifted towards Lalna. The mist enveloped him like a blanket, healing where it touched. He felt something shift in his back, and the comfortable numbness fled screaming. He cried out and his breaths grew ragged. He could feel how broken the bones in his legs were. The pain only intensified as the bones began to straighten out and knit together. His shoulder popped and he screamed. His scream was cut off by a hacking bout of coughing, and bloody fluid sprayed from his mouth. Suddenly he was able to breathe properly. The trickling of the blood down the back of his head stopped, and the gash on his leg itched ferociously. Even worse was the crawling sensation within his left eyeball. Eventually the glass splinters popped out to the ground with a faint tinkle. His vision cleared, as though it had never been damaged. He got his first good look at Rythian.

He was wearing the padded armor Lalna usually wore while checking on him, and he seemed even taller and prouder, freed from the constraints of his cage. Then Lalna noticed Rythian's face. Great black marks covered the lower half of it. He had gotten burned in the fire, and his accelerated healing wasn't doing anything about it.

Lalna's vision started to blur again, exhaustion pressing down on him. The healing mist faded away, and Lalna couldn't feel anything. Everything weighed on him like a heavy dream.

Rythian suddenly clutched his head. "No…." He whispered. Then more firmly- "NO!" His eyelids fluttered despite his protests, and he shot a worried glance at Lalna. "I've got to get away!" He hissed. He charged down the hall, past Lalna, and after a moment something exploded loudly. Lalna didn't feel concerned at all, drifting away on violet clouds.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 11**

_(Hey guys! Listen, I know that I usually ramble in these notes, but this is __**Important! **__I'll say it again. __**THIS IS IMPORTANT. **__Right, so Rythian is sort of two people. He has voices, or rather _a_ voice that speaks to him, but beyond that it can take control over their shared body. Neither of them is _'more' _Rythian, they just have slightly different personalities. As in one is kinda bloodthirsty, and the other is a bit more reasonable (But still hates Lalna). They switch control over the body, fairly often and I'll try to be clear when the control changes happen. When the voice speaks, it is generally referred to as 'Brother', and it speaks in italics, while whichever is dominant at the time speaks in normal font. They both call each other brother while speaking amongst themselves, mentally. It sounds confusing, but really, it's not, once you get to reading it. So why am I holding you up? Enjoy the story and have a lovely day!)_

Rythian struggled against the other consciousness, which was trying to take control over the body again. He couldn't let that happen. Of course he wanted Lalna to know the pain he was constantly in, but Rythian hadn't signed up for murder, despite what Brother tried to convince him was justice. He felt that beating Lalna close to death, gloating over his broken, barely living body, and scaring him silly was more than enough payback. As he felt Brother start to overpower him, he also felt the sharp pains like nails in the back of his skull. He looked at Lalna, who was dazed and nearly unconscious, despite the healing Rythian had preformed. If Brother had control here, Lalna would be dead in an instant.

_"__Don't resist Brother."_ The other voice purred. "No…" Rythian whispered. _"You just make it harder for yourself. Just let me." _Rythian clenched his fists, "NO!" he yelled out loud, though he knew it wasn't necessary. His defiance would lead to worse pain, he knew. But he wouldn't kill a helpless man in cold blood.

Just as he expected, the wave of pain from Brother nearly forcing Rythian out of control almost swept him off his feet. Rythian hunched over, and desperately said, "I've got to get out of here!" to no one in particular. Lalna still gazed at him with a blank face of vague shock and confusion. Rythian charged past the scientist, who didn't even follow him with his eyes. The glass from one of the scientist's goggle lenses crunched under Rythian's feet.

A stone wall lay between him and the outside world. He hadn't been in control when Brother had knocked down the walls, but he had seen and felt what he had done. He held a hand in front of him, trying to draw from the energy inside of him. He had healed Lalna, and this was a similar concept, except healing required calm thoughts and demolishing a wall took anger. Rythian thought of the fury and betrayal he felt when Lalna had tied him up, and drew on it. He molded it inside of him, and then _pushed _the power from himself. The force blew the wall outward, some chunks flying as much as 30 feet from where the wall had been.

Brother had stopped attacking Rythian's mind, and was sulking that he couldn't have his way, but even he had to say, _"Not bad." _A strange emptiness filled his insides, where he had held the anger, but despite it Rythian dashed out of the opening, and went outside for the first time in his life.

He wore no shoes, but there was plenty of soft grass there. He felt it underneath his toes, and decided that no other feeling could compare. Unless maybe it was the cool night air, or the muffled night sounds. Or maybe the beauty of the moon, high above, cold and unchanging in the deep, dark sky… _"Shut up with your poetry!" _Brother said irritably _"Let's get out of here before I change my mind and kill him anyway."_

That did it. Rythian raced away, not wanting to kill, even though his rage nearly matched that of Brother's. He ran as long as he could, but he was still new to the world, and his legs tired after a few miles. As he became weary, he stumbled and fell more than once. One of these falls was quite serious, and a sharp fallen branch carved a sizeable gash into his arm. He blinked away the pain and kept barreling on.

He couldn't stop, he refused to give Brother the temptation to return and kill Lalna. He ran until his legs gave out, and collapsed from the path he ran on to a small depression in the ground. Tall grass completely covered Rythian's prostrate body, and he lay there for a minute, straining just to catch his breath. When he recovered enough to rise his head and look around, he realized he was in a forest, with great trees that reached heavenward with their majestic limbs.

Rythian had memories of people in such a place, from the strange murky recollections he knew were not his own. The people were not described well, but the unceasing memories echoing around his head said that their names were Martyn and Toby. Apparently the Spaceman Xephos and the Dwarf Honeydew were good acquaintances of these woods people. Rythian rather wanted to meet the dwarf and his friend, as they were involved in several of the most prominent recollections, and seemed to be very interesting. Rythian got up from the ground and stood, still a little lightheaded.

_"__Brother" _The other growled _"why can't we head back and finish him off now? You've had your run, and your say. Now let me do what I want." _Rythian shook his head "No, I won't let you kill. It's just not right. Isn't it enough to have gotten away? We're free now!" He didn't speak aloud now, just thought the words.

_"__No!" _Brother hissed, and a sharp pain afflicted Rythian's leg. His temples pounded "_Do you like this pain? He made us this way! Our Powers heal us too quickly for us to die, as we should have a week ago. We were never destined to survive, so we will be in constant agony! It is entirely his fault!"_

Rythian sighed, knowing that the voice was right, at least about that part. He turned his pale eyes to the gash on his arm, which was nearly gone now, just a faint pink line. He tried to placate the voice. "But we are alive, and we have to take advantage of that. It's a beautiful thing, and I just can't imagine taking it from anyone. Let him live, and we will go far away. We can try to find a cure for the pains. None of our memories mention people like us, people with Powers. We can study the things we do, and find better ways to do it. I don't know about you, but that blasting earlier exhausted me, in a strange hollow way."

_"__Yes" _Brother sounded pleased. _"We will practice and become stronger. Then we return to kill the scientist in a better way!"_

Rythian didn't know how to dissuade this angry person in his head. "Listen, I hate the scientist as much as you, but I think we taught Lalna his lesson. He won't be messing with us, I'm sure. Besides the Powers are…well…pretty cool. Should we kill the one who gave them to us?" As he said this Rythian pulled on the strange force inside of him and made a spark of purple lightning trace along his fingertips. Using it this way, not with emotion, but at will brought a weird kind of exaltation. Energy filled Rythian, and the weariness from running lifted.

Brother spoke up. _"Fine, unless he bothers us again, I won't seek him out. If he confronts us I can't guarantee anything." _Rythian nodded contentedly. It was the best he could ask for, and indeed it was the same way he felt. If Lalna hadn't learned to leave him alone after this night, and came after him, Rythian wouldn't fret over morals quite so much. _"Now Brother, I have something I would like to try. I think the pain from us switching control would stop if we don't resist each other. Just relax and don't fight me now."_

Rythian felt the other consciousness start to overpower his own, and couldn't help a tiny start of panic. When he tensed up, blasting agony shot out from the base of his skull down his spine and to his arms and legs, tracing invisible lines. Brother stopped his advance and held himself there, halfway in control. _"Take a few breaths."_ His voice was strained, like he could feel the pain too. Rythian followed Brother's instructions, and fought down the dread he felt at being out of control. Brother continued his intrusion. Rythian felt only a few twinges, and was soon just an observer, still able to see, hear and feel everything, but unable to act. _"Thank you." _He said _"That was not as bad as before."_

Rythian's eyes darkened when he had full control, and he blinked a few times. He held his hands up, and wiggled his digits. He pulled on the same pool of Energy inside of him, and channeled it out of his finger tips. A thin, wispy thread of flame shot out, and twisted around his hands, like the electricity had. It was the same color as the electricity, a vivid purple, though a slightly darker hue, like his eyes were darker. "Our magic is different." He pointed out, sounding faintly dissatisfied.

_"__Yes," _Brother agreed. _"That's pretty interesting. I don't know why." _Rythian forced a little more energy out, and the fire grew stronger, covering his hands. Instead of snaking around his hands, the blaze shimmered in one place, forming a glowing ball. The fire was comfortably warm, but it didn't burn, like the fire at the lab had. The lab fire had started when Rythian had accidently knocked over a cart holding some sort of chemicals. The fire had leapt up, and brushed against Rythian's leg. When it touched him, it drew from him, and the fire grew into a mighty inferno, with an unnatural energy. It had blinded him for a moment, and the pain had nearly been as bad as the 12 hour ones. His vision was back, and all the other pains had mended, but Rythian realized the skin on his face felt odd, stretched tight.

He closed his open hand, and the flame vanished. He reached his hand up to touch his cheek, and was shocked by the ridges and stiff skin he felt. "Why didn't my face heal? All of the other injuries we've ever gotten have." He asked, worried. Rythian didn't really feel any discomfort from the burns, and the tight feeling was already fading, but he had never had a lasting mark on his body.

_"__I don't know. Maybe the burns were too bad for us to heal all at once" _The voice suggested helpfully. _"Or it's something else. The flames drew power from us when it made contact with our skin. Perhaps that had something to do with it."_

Rythian tried to fight down the fury that started to rise within him, but self control wasn't his strong suit. "Naturally that mangy scientist had some sort of fire on hand that would permanently harm us!" He raged "Something we couldn't heal that would leave revolting scars! How are we meant to live normal lives away from here, and avoid Lalna when we will be the most recognizable and repulsive person around!" Not that Rythian was against finishing off the scientist, rather than just 'avoiding' him, but he knew the pesky moralistic person sharing his head would fight him every step of the way.

That particular moralistic person was indeed stumped. He had been so concentrated on stopping unnecessary bloodshed; he hadn't thought much about what was next. He had no calming words to offer Brother. Rythian was indeed literally glowing with ire now, as his hands shimmered with the purple fire once more. The strange unearthly glow that had surrounded him in the lab enclosed him again. His eyes were wild pools of untamable wrath. Frankly, anyone witnessing this would have been sure that this was some malevolent supernatural being, bent on destroying the world.

In actuality, it was a mere temper tantrum. Rythian raised his blazing hands, and sent a river of flames at the trunk of a nearby giant. He roared a wordless cry, and the Voice in his head frantically tried to soothe him. It worked, after a few minutes, and Rythian lowered his hands, the insane look gone from his eyes. He panted for a moment, tired from the sudden surge of Power.

Then a different voice behind him yelled "Hey! What were you just doing to my tree?! Get away from it!" Rythian turned swiftly, ready to reduce the intruder into a pile of ashes _"NO!" _the Voice yelled. _"Give me control! NOW!" _ Brother didn't wait for Rythian to concede, and forced him out. Rythian resisted as little as he could, realizing the pain he would feel otherwise. He still shuddered, and grimaced, but the twinge was nothing compared to what it had been before.

Toby watched in shock as the stranger that had been brutally burning his tree started to tremble. He didn't lower his guard, but every second that went by made him surer that the newcomer wouldn't attack. His bow didn't waver though he was not nearly as good a shot as Martyn. This distance was short enough that a single arrow was still a sure kill. The unfamiliar person soon stopped his trembling, and opened his eyes, which Toby noticed were a peculiar shade of lilac. He smiled at Toby and took a step closer. "Stop it." Toby ordered, nodding towards his bow. He couldn't draw his eyes away from the stranger's face. Odd winding, blackish-purple marks formed a disorganized pattern, graceful and horrifying at the same time. Though they looked long healed, Toby wondered what could have caused the horrific scars. He noticed that similar disfigurements formed two symmetrical bands on the man's lower arms. Any other marks were hidden by the leather tunic he wore. Toby forced his attention from the scars, keeping an irate, watchful eye on the stranger.

The man chuckled softly. "Hello, you're Toby, right?" He paused for a second but Toby's face seemed to be made of stone. The man tried again "You're probably worried about your tree, right?" Toby nodded and angrily said "Yeah, you were _burning _it!" Toby thought for a moment, and then asked "And how do you know my name?" Toby was straining not to show it, but he felt the burning the tree suffered in his own side. It was what had brought him running here to confront this guy.

The man smiled mysteriously. "I know things. Now let me explain. I was walking though the forest, and noticed that this tree alone among the others was weak and sickly, though still glorious by any other measure." Inside, Rythian desperately hoped this was true, or he was in trouble. The Memories suggested that the woods people had strong ties to these trees. He continued his lie. "I was simply burning away the illness, so that I might heal it." Rythian watched the brown haired kid nod slowly to himself. It seemed like the story was passable.

Toby strove to keep his voice level. "Well, let's see this healing." He said. Excitement drummed in his belly. This guy obviously wasn't normal, shooting fire from his hands and all, but if he could heal trees, that could mean something different entirely.

Rythian took a deep breath and faced the scorch mark on the trunk of the massive tree. It looked severe but was tiny compared to the rest of the mammoth. He wasn't sure if his healing would fix the tree the same way it had fixed Lalna's injuries, but he had to try. If he didn't he could expect an arrow in his back, which while probably healable, still wouldn't be pleasant. Even worse, this woodsman might go to the scientist. He held his hand up in front of him, well aware of the bow still pointed at his back. He noticed the sun rising, and the stunning colors in the sky he could see through the leaves filled him with joy. The purples and pinks and oranges seemed so natural and beautiful, he just couldn't control the peculiar floating sensation he felt. He gathered all of the positive feelings inside of him and forced them out of his hands. A curling lavender vapor drifted over to the tree, and what followed was spectacular to behold.

The tree's burn mark was the first to heal. It was erased with only the tiniest amount of effort. The bulk of the mist was spent on long lasting problems. A microscopic pest that plagued the tree suddenly died in droves. The leaves became an unbelievably vibrant shade of green, despite fall being on the way. The tree had been slightly droopy, but still magnificent. With a groan it straightened up, and multicolored blossoms adorned the limbs. It was healthier and statelier than it had ever been. The last of the mist, unneeded, drifted away into the treetops, far, far above.

Rythian lowered his hands, spent from the amount of energy he had just channeled. He turned wearily and saw Toby looking at him with a mix of awe and worship. Toby had looked very tired and weak before, but like his tree, seemed to be in perfect health now.

When Rythian caught Toby's gaze, Toby snapped out of some sort of trance. He dropped his bow to the ground and fell to his knees. Rythian took a step back, unsure how to react. Toby looked at the ground as he spoke quickly and reverently. "My lord, I am so sorry I raised my bow against you! Had I but known you were the One I would have welcomed you with the respect you deserve."

_"__What the hell is he talking about?" _Brother asked Rythian, who shrugged. He then asked the question to Toby in a slightly politer way. Toby's eyes widened, "You mean to say you didn't know you were the One? You have to come with me, please. You are a long awaited person from a prophesy that was uttered long ago. It means that soon the world will soon be covered in a conflict that only you can resolve. You need to know more, and I can tell you back at my cabin. These woods are safe enough during the day, but we have to arrange proper living quarters for you before today's end. Also, we have a special ceremony today, and having the One witness it would be an unimaginable honor."

Rythian silently told Brother "It's better than losing our way in the woods. We can stay with him and the other one, Martyn and find out who it is they think we are." Brother agreed without words.

Rythian asked that Toby get up from the ground because though he didn't say so, he rather disliked having someone bow to him. When Toby arose, things were a bit more casual. Toby led Rythian along a path towards his house. He grinned after a moment of walking and Rythian asked why. Toby smiled even wider and replied. "Martyn never believed the legends, and always said that you would never return. He even doubted that you existed in the first place. Now I've found the One…" he paused. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking; what's your name? I can't keep calling you The One. It's a nice title, but not a proper name."

Rythian didn't think that he had to lie about his name, and he preferred to lie as little as possible. He smiled slightly, feeling the tight skin on his face stretch. "My name is Rythian." He said, and Toby nodded. After several more minutes along the trail, Toby asked another question. "The uh, scars on your face. How did you get them?" Rythian's expression darkened, and though he didn't like lying, did it anyway. "I've always had them." He said quickly. "I don't know how I got them." He could hear the Voice laugh bitterly. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

**End of Chapter 11**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 12**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! I may or may not upload Friday, because I might be busy, so I'm uploading now. If I can I'll also upload on Friday. I don't really have much to say right now, so I'll talk to your guys again soon. By the way, don't hesitate to private message me with suggestions, ideas, or if you just want to say something. you can do that with my user- Mage-Pages. Enjoy the story, and have a lovely day!) _

Lalna came to leaning against the corridor wall. Next to him, sunlight glinted off of a small puddle of blood and shards of glass. His ears were ringing, and he reached up to pat the back of his head. There was no wound, but dried blood clumped his fine hair in foul clumps. He looked at the tacky congealed blood on his fingertips, and the events of the last night came rushing back to him.

Rythian was gone.

Lalna didn't know what to do about that. He had to stop him-that much was clear. He was way too dangerous to allow out in public. He would kill innocent, unsuspecting people like he had nearly killed Lalna. But Rythian had warned him to stay away, and had conjured the mist that healed him. Lalna was torn between his own fear of the strange powers Rythian had, and the duty he had to the people of Minecraftia. He had to bring to a halt this threat he had created. But he didn't even know how.

Lalna stood up carefully. The wave of dizziness that hit him was somewhat milder than he expected, which made what he had to do next a bit easier; walking. He lurched down the hallway like a seasick drunk, stopping often to lean on a wall. He eventually got to the containment chamber, where things were worse than the CCTV had suggested.

The glass was nearly all shattered, lying on the ground in pieces ranging from a few inches across to barely more than dust. The stone parts had fared only slightly better, with large boulders standing like giants over tiny stones and sand. Lalna couldn't imagine the sheer amount of pressure it would have taken to do _this._ Outside of the chamber, where Lalna had just come from, melted bits of glass hinted at the temperature the fires had reached. None of the stone had become lava, though much of it was blackened and charred, but if it had, the damage to the lab would have been far worse. As it stood, only the beta wing was trashed.

Lalna found a cart that had been knocked over. A few barely recognizable flasks and beakers were scattered around, all badly melted or somehow blown up. Lalna didn't know how they could have exploded until he remembered what had been stored in them. Two different chemicals that reacted if put together by violently exploding and burning for a short time. They shouldn't have been on the same cart, which was just careless organization on Lalna's own part. But the reaction was very small. It shouldn't have had even a tenth of the effect on the lab as it had. Why had this wing gone up in flames?

Lalna recalled the terrible burns Rythian had on his face. Perhaps the flame had been started when Rythian stumbled into the cart. If that had happened, the fire would have burned him, but not anywhere close to his face, unless it was bolstered by some sort of additional energy besides the reactive chemicals. The strange energy that had surrounded Rythian when he was trying to kill Lalna might have been somehow consumed by the fire. But there was no way to prove it, unless he could get Rythian in his possession again. Just the thought of confronting him again sent shivers up Lalna's spine. He felt a small bit of relief upon remembering that a few samples of the specimen's blood were in a storage vault. Still, it might not be enough

"It might be the only way to find his weakness, the only way to fix him, destroy him, end it…" Lalna realized he had been talking out loud, and shook his head, trying to clear the unpleasant thoughts. He would have to find a way to keep Rythian captive that would be unbreakable. Then he could focus on what was next. He put the entire matter out of his mind, and made his way back out of the Beta wing. He walked past the ruined wall that had previously sealed it off from the rest of the lab and headed to his room. He would clean up the fire damage and whatnot later. For now he just needed to calm down, though he didn't feel particularly stressed. In fact, he felt kind of dreamy and surreal. Surely he would wake up and the past few years would have been a bad dream. He would give anything to have never started Alpha, let alone Beta.

He had walked into his room and opened his closet, looking for some clean, blood-free clothes to put on. A pile of boxes in the corner caught his eye. Forgetting the clothes, he started to look through them. He was shocked to find that a few of them still held things he had yet to unpack after his move from Mistral City. He didn't know how he had missed them, but he had been busy since he had come here and built his lab. Also, the boxes had been halfway covered by a pile of unused blankets and some spare, rolled up carpeting.

One of the boxes held a few books, and Lalna picked up a family scrapbook. A tiny sketchbook fell into Lalna's lap, and his eyes widened. It was the one from his dream that had been lost for years, right here in his room! Here was a spot of good luck, among the bad.

He picked up the book, and flipped through the delicate yellowed pages gently. It wasn't that old, but the paper was not the best quality. He looked at a couple of the old drawings, not recognizing the person he used to be. Most of the drawings were of parts of the city or people he had known, but they all screamed of his sadness when he lived there. The color blue was prevalent.

He knew suddenly that the next page was the one had had drawn the sketch he had seen in his dreams on, and he took a deep breath in anticipation. He turned the page.

A pair of intricately detailed, glowing eyes stared out of a shaded, featureless face at Lalna, through the paper. It wasn't colored, but the shading hinted at a color lighter than brown and darker than blue or green. _Purple glowing eyes, pinning him to the walls, ready to tear him apart._

The book fell out of Lalna's fingers, and hit the floor with a clap. Lalna shivered for a moment, and stood up. He would find something else to paint on his floor.

**End of Chapter 12**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 13**

_(Author's Note- Longest. Chapter. Evverrr. I'm sorry for the week and a half break between updates by the way. I made the document, but forgot to upload it. -_- Anyway this is a long chapter, and maybe it's a little dry, but what i wrote here is important, and I did my best. Make sure to leave your comments or advice in the reviews or shoot me a PM. Enjoy the chapter and have a lovely day!)_

Toby and Rythian finally made it to the clearing, where Martyn was putting together some sort of pyre. Kaeyi was watching from the cabin, where she was making bread. They both stopped what they were doing when they noticed the tall, tan man with horrific scars following behind Toby.

Toby beamed as Martyn walked over. "You'll never believe it, but this is Rythian, and he is the One" Martyn raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Toby, those are just legends. And even if they were once true, what makes you think that he would show up around here? I don't think there's any war brewing."

Kaeyi joined the group. Rythian was kind of hanging back from the two men and she walked right over to him. She looked past the horrific scars that twisted his mouth and smiled at him. "I'm new to this group too." She said "and I didn't believe in the stories at first. If you have the powers the legends say, just show Martyn. He has trouble believing something unless he can see it with his own eyes."

Rythian frowned. The two guys were still in a heated, yet friendly discussion over who he might be. "I don't fully understand what I can do yet" he said quietly to Kaeyi. "When Toby first saw me, I was burning a tree- his tree apparently." He interrupted Kaeyi's shocked gasp by quickly following up this truth with his lie. "I had sensed a sickness in it, and was burning it away. Then I healed it. I can only use my powers on things that are already broken." He had no idea if this was true, but it helped explain why he was scorching the tree in the first place.

Rythian realized that the Voice was unusually silent. By probing a bit within his own mind, he realized Brother was sleeping. He just stopped an amused smile before it reached his ruined lips.

Kaeyi shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe heal another tree. If Martyn thinks that you tricked Toby he will never trust you. Toby is very trusting, Martyn less so. You need to prove it now." Rythian protested, "But I don't even know what the One is! I'm, uh, new around here."

Kaeyi smirked at the unconvincing lie. "We all have our secrets Rythian. If you can heal trees, that's all that matters. They will see it as some sort of omen." She lowered her voice and stepped closer "I don't know what you're running from, but you'll be safer here than on your own" Rythian was a bit shocked that she realized he was in fact fleeing from something. He decided she was right, and she explained what he had to do to convince Martyn. Rythian took a deep breath and walked a few paces closer to the men. Toby looked up at him.

"I understand that there is a ceremony happening today" Rythian started. Toby nodded. "I would quite like to see it, and I'll help however I can. I will prove myself to you-" he nodded towards Martyn. "And I will leave then if you still think I am an imposter." Martyn thought about it a moment, and agreed. "Fine. The ritual is about to begin now. We are welcoming Kaeyi officially into our tribe, and she will gain the Awareness and Gifts we possess. The tree-" Martyn growled a sound that seemed impossible for human lips to make. "Has accepted her and will share her awareness." He lit the pyre, and the flames that licked up the dry branches were not orange or red, but green

A strange presence had joined them in the clearing, mighty and ancient. Though the Power was great, it was also benign. Everything in the clearing gained a surreal and dreamlike quality. Martyn began to glow with a ghostly faint green light, and Kaeyi closed her eyes and swayed back and forth. Toby watched with huge, awestruck brown eyes as he scribbled furiously in a leather-bound notebook. Rythian felt the supernatural being join his mind, and his hands moved of their own accord. He switched consciousnesses seamlessly and blasted purple fire at the green flames. The two colors blended and formed abstract pictures. As the presence left his mind, he felt the 12 hour anguish seize his limbs. All at once he was in the throes of the piercing agony, so suddenly that a black veil fell over his eyes and he passed out. The atmosphere in the clearing became lighter, and Kaeyi stopped her rocking, and opened her eyes. They held the odd green light for a moment until she blinked and it vanished. Martyn's glowing also stopped, and Toby was already rushing over to Rythian.

He laid still on the ground, purple sparks traveling just beneath his skin, nearly invisible. A low moan escaped his throat, and his limbs twitched. The others stood around him helplessly, not knowing how to assist him. When at last he grew still, they carried him into one of the cabins, and put him into a bed.

The fire on the pyre was gone suddenly, out all at once. Kaeyi felt the tree in her mind, not obtrusive, just casually there. She was worried about Rythian, because she knew that he was not the One, just confused man with unclear talents. She could not explain the seizures he had, but she kept her worries silent. Martyn was fully convinced after the events of the ceremony that Rythian was divinely Powered.

When at last Rythian opened his eyes, he was shocked to see Martyn and Toby leant over him. Toby was confused by the shade of the eyes. Before, they were that light color but now they were swirling and dark. He had only a moment to wonder, though as he had to dodge Rythian's fist when it swung through the space his face had been in a moment before. Both Martyn and Toby jumped back, startled by the hostile actions of the newcomer. Rythian had leapt out of the bed with a snarl and was now crouched facing these two, with his back to the bed. His turbulent eyes held a furious, bestial gleam. Suddenly they went blank, and his face became calm. He shuddered for a second. Martyn and Toby kept their guard up. Neither of them had weapons on them but both could fight with their fists fairly well.

When Rythian's eyes gained awareness again, they were the pale color Toby remembered. Rythian straightened out of the crouch and smiled awkwardly. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about that. I'm a bit uneasy when I awaken." Brother was calmer, but still jumpy. _"Maybe they shouldn't have been right above me when I woke up!"_ He yelled. Only Rythian, of course, could hear him, and he did his best to ignore Brother, which only disgruntled him further. _"If their trust wasn't necessary to keep Lalna off of our trail, I'd kill them both right now!" _He fumed. Rythian was fairly sure that Brother was bluffing, but it was better to remain on his good side. He mentally apologized to Brother, who quieted down.

Martyn seemed to have accepted Rythian's explanation, and had lowered his fists. Toby was slightly slower to believe it. He had seen part of the tree-burning tantrum before, and had a suspicion that something else was up. He lowered his fists, but more hesitantly. He would speak about this to Martyn later.

At that moment Kaeyi walked into the cabin, holding a pile of white fabrics. She noticed the somewhat relaxed standoff, and caught Rythian's eye. He figured that she already knew more than the guys concerning who he really was. He winked at her nearly imperceptibly. She frowned, trying to hide a smile and got Martyn's attention. "Stinky" she said, using her pet name for him "I'm going to make some new clothes for Rythian, but I need some special flowers and woods for dye. Could you and Toby head out and get them for me? I have a list here." She smiled sweetly. Martyn took it from her. "Sure" he said. He left the cabin, Toby right behind. Toby paused by the door and glanced at Rythian uneasily, then shook his head and left.

Kaeyi glanced out the door to be sure the two men had left. She turned to Rythian. "I ran into someone in the woods" she said. Rythian started to ask who, and she interrupted him. "It was Lalna, from what I've heard of him from Martyn. And he said that a visiting friend of his had vanished. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" It wasn't really a question, and she was alarmed to see his pale eyes flickering dark, then back.

Rythian's voice was strained as he answered "He is no friend of mine. Did he mention my name, or did you just guess?" She looked at his face, suddenly made of stone. She decided that the best way to get any information from him was to be completely truthful. "He asked if I had seen his tall, purple eyed friend. You're the only person with purple eyes I know. Lalna looked pretty beat up. Did you do that to him?" Her tone wasn't accusing, just curious. Rythian ignored her question and looked into her eyes. She was frightened by this anxious new Rythian. "Did you tell him anything?" he demanded

She glared at him severely "No, I didn't tell him you were here. The way he looked, with blood in his hair and on his clothes didn't exactly scream 'Friends!' to me. Rythian, if you want me to help you, you need to tell me the truth. Not everything if you simply can't, but I need to know something."

Rythian stared out of the window for a second. "When will they be back?" he asked finally. She thought for a moment. "An hour, at least. Some of the things on that list will be nearly impossible to find quickly."

Surprisingly, Brother wanted to tell her their story._ "We need her protection until we can safely make it away from here. With these fits we have, Lalna could easily recapture us, or some creature could injure us while we're helpless. Tell her what she needs to know, what we can remember, and ask if she can help us find a way to ward off the seizures"_

Rythian sighed. "It's a long story, and I don't want to relive it, but you must know. You can never tell another, because I must keep moving, and those who know my secret could stop me from doing that." He looked at her, and her face was deadly serious."I will tell no one" she said solemnly.

"I am only a week old" he started, and judged her reaction. Though she was shocked, she hid it well. He leapt into his story. "I am some sort of science project of Lalna's. He never told me exactly what he hoped to discover by creating me, and I have not figured it out yet. I have gathered that I was grown in a tank, but that is about it. When I was new, he was kind, though he held me captive in a thick glass and stone cell. He asked me questions that I couldn't really answer. Sometimes I blacked out, though now I know why. I have another personality, so to speak. We switch control, sometimes willingly, sometimes not. We both hate Lalna, though I didn't at first. Brother has since he first saw him. Twice a day, some sort of fit attacks every part of me. My powers that I can control automatically heal me, and I am sure that if they didn't the fits would kill me. Lalna knows what the fits are though he hasn't told me. They are what made me pass out at the end of the Ceremony, not a vision. Last night Brother was in control, and it was the first time I was aware of what was happening while I was not in control. He sent some sort of force at the chamber wall and it exploded. Alarms started piercing through the air. The glass cut our feet, which were bare, but they healed almost instantly. He charged into the first room we saw, and put on the leather armor we are wearing now. He ran into a cart, which crashed to the ground, and there was an explosion. I guess we blacked out for a moment, but I was suddenly in control again. We had come too far to go quietly back to the cage, but I was blind. I could feel flames against my legs, and it was the first time I had actually felt a burn. They drew power from me, and grew hotter. I leapt from the fire, which had surrounded me. I could feel the burns healing without a problem, even the ones on my face and my eyesight quickly returned, but for some reason…" he gestured to his scars, and Kaeyi winced sympathetically.

Rythian sighed emotionally. Kaeyi watched patiently, waiting for him to continue. She could appreciate why this story was so hard to tell. Suddenly Brother spoke up to Rythian _"Let me tell her the next part. You need a break, and I can remember it better." _Rythian looked at Kaeyi. "He wants to tell you the next part himself. Don't be startled by this." He closed his pale eyes, and relaxed enough that the change was nearly painless, just a small twinge in his joints. He hardly even shook and it only took a few seconds. When his eyes reopened, they were darker. This shocked Kaeyi more than the story itself had, but she hid her surprise. The new Rythian continued the story, not meeting Kaeyi's eyes.

"I took control, forcibly from my brother. When we force control changes without mutual consent it is very painful, and we were incapacitated for a few minutes. The fire raged around us, and we kept getting burns, but I think most of them healed. I cannot feel any pain from any of them, even these on my face, but I suppose I haven't properly checked. Anyway, once I was able to, I kept running down the lab hallway. I blew down the door that separated the part of the lab I was in from the rest of it. The alarms still echoed through the lab but I guess I was used to them by then. I felt so mighty, blowing down solid stone walls, that when I saw Lalna at the far end of the hallway from me I didn't hesitate to do the same thing to him. He flew backwards into the wall hard, and I could feel somehow that his spine, and half of his ribs were crushed. He had cracks in his skull. You could hear the bones breaking from all the way down the corridor. I was surprised he was even conscious" His voice was analytical and void of emotion and it scared Kaeyi, especially after the other Rythian's testimony was so filled with sentiment. _"Brother, try to keep it less gory. It's not going to win us any friends. Also, Kaeyi looks terrified." _Brother requested.

Rythian kept talking, his dead voice growing angry. "I felt the vengeful fire growing within me, and I physically started glowing. I felt powerful. Of course I had to boast a bit at the scientist scum, who had pretended to be my friend, my host, while experimenting on me with gasses and electric shocks. I intimidated him with my strength and newfound Talent. Then I pushed the terror and fear I had felt inside of the cage at him. I expected him to start squalling like a baby, but he broke the control I had over him by refusing to do that. He was still unable to move or anything, and was utterly helpless, but he wasn't scared" Rythian shook his head. Kaeyi looked at the monster in front of her with wide eyes.

Rythian scowled at the ground. "When Lalna broke my power, Brother was able to seize it. He pushed me out of control and healed the scientist, and warned him to stay away. I guess he didn't listen if he's already looking for us. Anyway, Brother ran us all the way to these woods, until we collapsed. He allowed me to control our body, and I realized that the scars on our face were still there, and not healing anymore. It made me-angry" He cracked a rueful smile. "I pulled on my basic power, which is fire, and just blasted it at a tree. Then Toby came along. If Brother hadn't pushed me from control again, Toby would probably be a pile of ashes now." Kaeyi shuddered, horror-struck and fascinated. Rythian finished up quickly. "I fell asleep after that, with Brother in control, until the Ceremony. Some Being pulled me into control and It made me add my flames to the pyre. I don't know why, and the fit started just after that. Then I awoke in the bed here, and was startled by Martyn and Toby leaning over me as I slept. That's it. Everything in my only week of life." He paused for a moment, merely blinked and his eyes changed colors, pale once more.

Kaeyi stared at him. "I wouldn't believe that from anyone, except I have just seen it with my own eyes. The scars, your powers, the eyes changing colors, everything fits" Rythian looked confused. "My eyes change colors?" Kaeyi realized he wouldn't be able to tell, and had probably never even seen his own face, except perhaps reflected in the cell's glass, and that wouldn't be very clear. "Yeah," She said. "When you're in control they're pale purple, and 'Brother' has darker eyes." Rythian still looked confused. "I didn't even know my eyes were purple, until you mentioned Lalna looking for someone with purple eyes. That's not a normal color."

Kaeyi walked past Rythian and grabbed a small mirror off of a shelf. "Here" she said softly. Rythian held the mirror up to eye level, scrutinizing the unfamiliar person in the mirror. Rythian knew that was dark-skinned, and he had imagined that he had black hair. Instead it was brown, with a strange blonde streak. His eyes were large and innocent looking, and were a shocking shade of violet. He had strong features, and he had a determined look about him. Then he forced himself to look down from his own eyes, to his mouth. The scars covering the lower half of his face were not quite as horrific as they had felt, but still looked pretty bad. It looked as though some great beast had clawed down his chin, continuing down his neck. Occasional swirling marks, almost looking like some form of ancient rune fanned out from the main slashes. The skin was folded in around the marks. They were darker than the rest of his face, almost violet in their depths and they stuck out like a sore thumb.

He sighed and looked away. Kaeyi gave him a moment, but she had to do what she had told Martyn, so he wouldn't suspect that she had just been trying to get rid of him for a while. "I'm going to get your measurements so I can sew you together some new clothes. The ones you have are a bit beaten up." Rythian looked down at himself and saw the tears and burn marks on the chaffing leather armor he wore. "Alright" He said "You can sew clothes?" She nodded as she pulled out a tape measure. "That chest plate is thick, so you're going to have to take it off" Rythian displayed no modesty, and removed it. He closed his eyes, but opened them when Kaeyi gave a small shocked gasp. He opened his eyes, confused and looked down at himself again. Over his well-defined muscles scars like the ones on his face traced their way along his sides and chest. The shirt had been long sleeved, so he hadn't seen the burns that circled around his arms either. The marks around his arms were like perfect bands. He had a sick feeling that his legs, hidden beneath leather trousers would have similar marks.

"I'm a freak" he whispered. "No!" Kaeyi protested. "They're just marks on the outside. I can make armbands to cover them up." Rythian didn't look sold. "But when I leave here, to escape Lalna more permanently, I'll be easy to find. He'll know to look for the man with the scars on his face. Covering my arms won't be enough. I'll need to wear a mask on my face. No one will ever be able to see who I truly am, so Lalna does not find out. I won't be taken by him again." Kaeyi looked sorry for the tall, unfortunate man. "You've told me your part of the story, and now I'll tell you how I can help. I will try to keep Lalna away for awhile, but I agree that you cannot hide here forever. I will make the clothes for you and I'll get you out of here, without Lalna finding out, hopefully" She looked away from Rythian, and gathered herself together, as though she was reliving unpleasant memories.

She looked back, a cautious look in her eyes. "I've never told anyone here this before." Her voice was faint, but gained strength as she continued "I had to make a similar escape, though without anyone's help. I have some 'Powers' as you call them. I always knew it as magic, and it was feared in the village I was born near. I am not nearly as Gifted as you seem to be, and I can't do anything truly destructive. I mostly made Amulets, as it didn't take much power, but it was very delicate work. I knew of a few other Mages, as Magic folk call themselves, but none of them can do anything as powerful as you did in the lab. None of them can use plain Force like you can. They all need rings, or staffs" Rythian was surprised that there were other people, Mages- that could do magic, but he kept his face blank. He listened to Kaeyi "About a month ago, a crowd of disgruntled townspeople blamed me for the low rains. They had ignored me for the most part, allowing me to stay where I was in return for mild healing charms and such. The relations between us had grown tense over the course of the drought, and I knew they believed I was bad luck. I saw them about a mile from my house, and I figured they would be coming to execute me for witchcraft. I had to gather what little I had and run into the woods, I don't do magic anymore, because I don't know how Martyn would react, but I kept a few of the better charms." She unclasped a simple, thin golden chain from around her neck. The charm had a strange symbol with a tiny gleaming gem in the center.

She handed it to Rythian and helped him to clasp it around his neck. "This will help ease pains, even bad ones. Whatever is happening that causes the pain will still harm you, if it is of that nature, but you will not feel it. If you feel the 12 hour pain coming on, grasp the charm firmly, as long as you are able to. You will probably still pass out, but the agony will not be as intense. You will feel some, but much less. You have to touch the charm with your hand for it to work."

Rythian didn't know what to say. It was the greatest gift- the only gift he had ever been given. "But I can't possibly accept this! It's far too valuable." He objected. _"Shut up!" _ Brother griped. _"We need this if we hope to maintain our sanity!" _ Kaeyi just smiled. "I don't want to tell Martyn about the magic I have. I've left that life behind. I'm glad to be rid of it, honestly."

Rythian curled his hand around the charm. It fit into the contours of his hand familiarly, as though it has been tailored to fit it exactly. He let it go, and spoke again "Thank you." He meant it for far more than just the charm, and was sure she understood. "I suppose you can measure me now, and I'll be ready to leave as soon as you are finished with the clothes." She nodded, and measured his height, shoulder breadth, and everything else necessary for a basic tunic and trousers. She took a few special measurements for the half-face mask he would wear and for the armbands to cover the strange swirling scars on his arms. The scars themselves only covered one large section of each of his upper arms, and three small rings on his lower arms, the lowest a few inches above his wrist. She carefully measured the scars, so that the bands would be as small as possible, while still fully covering the marks. The mask would have to cover the entirety of his lower face. She assured Rythian that plenty of people in villages and cities around here wore masks or veils, especially to the west, so he would not be too far out of place.

When she finished with the measuring, Rythian put the leather chest plate back on. Then they talked about colors. Kaeyi told him that she found it easier to channel her powers wearing certain colors. "The color of the magic you produce is generally purple, right?" Rythian nodded, still amazed that there was other people like him. "Right, well we need some purple, and a contrasting color for the most effective channeling. Green would work" She spoke quickly and softly, more to herself than Rythian. She worked out the colors for everything, most of it varying shades of grey and black, with a bit of purple and green for Magical power. She decided to add a removable cape for warmth and Rythian was fine with letting her do whatever she wanted with the clothes. When she was done planning on paper, which she did very quickly, she sat on one of the beds and started to cut the fabric, carefully and precisely. Rythian sat on the other, and they spoke about non-magical topics until Martyn and Toby returned only a few minutes later.

Toby was holding an armful of different flowers and stones, and Martyn held a few bits of coal in one hand. In his other he had a single red tulip. Kaeyi jumped up and gave him a hug when he walked in the door and offered her the flower. "Oh Stinky, it's beautiful!" she cried. Rythian smiled at the cute picture they painted, and felt a surge of an unknown feeling. The memories provided the word, like they had on his first day- _loneliness._

**End of Chapter 13**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 14**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys, random question. I got some goldfish at our local fireman's carnival, and I had to name them. I figured that since people always name sailing ships after fish, why couldn't I name a fish after a Ship? Not a sailing ship though, a _Ship _ship. Yeah. I have a fish named Zoethian now. Is there a flaw in my reasoning? Anyway, I'll leave you to this chapter now, and everyone have a lovely day! PS special thanks to Spiritedandloyal for giving me loads of advice and whatnot for later in the story. She's writing an amazing Percy Jackson/Yogscast crossover right now, so if that's your thing, you should check it out.)_

Xephos gazed at the sun, high above. He felt an old stirring, an eagerness to soar in the heavens again. He reminded himself that that was a life he had left behind long ago. He had mostly given up hope on returning to the Federation. He was much happier here anyway. It was a simple life, but fulfilling. He gazed at the unplowed land in front of him and picked up his new iron hoe. Time to get to work. As he methodically drove the tool into the ground, his mind wandered. He thought about Honeydew. The dwarf seemed distant lately, especially after the explosion. Xephos wasn't sure how Honeydew had lived, but he wasn't quick to question their good luck. Honestly, he was adapting quickly to living in the woods and dealing with monsters, but he would still be a goner if left alone out here. He needed the dwarf, but didn't know how to help him out of this fog.

He sighed and continued plowing. Maybe they could take a trip back to visit Lalna. The scientist had said in his last letter back that they could come and visit whenever they wanted. That would lift Honeydew's spirits. They could catch up with Lalna, and if Honeydew played his cards right, he might get back to his city (to get some of that ale he adored, no doubt). Honeydew hadn't really told Xephos what leaving his city had meant. From what he said of it, which was little, it seemed as though any dwarf was welcome. Xephos was worried that Honeydew would be an outsider among his own kind though, because he had left to travel with a human. The dwarf hadn't said anything about it, so he wasn't concerned, or he just didn't want to make Xephos feel guilty. Either way, he needed to something to get him normal again. Having his friend act so solemn and cheerless was taxing, especially when he was generally so animated and upbeat.

Xephos reached the end of the row, and decided that he had plowed enough for now. He took out a leather pouch filled with seeds. As he sprinkled them over the freshly furrowed land, he started to plan the trip, already deciding what supplies they would need for the journey back. It wouldn't be far, only about a day or two making a good pace. It would definitely be a break they both needed.

The sun was growing low in the sky when Xephos finally finished with his chores for the day. He had planted the wheat they would need, and put up a simple wooden fence around the small field. He had also chopped down a few small trees, as they were getting low on wood. He went inside to tell the dwarf his plans for the trip.

The dwarf was unexpectedly agreeable. He seemed happy to be heading back to visit old friends, both above and below the ground. He immediately took out a small bit of parchment, and a quill. Xephos had been teaching him to read and write, and he was quite an adept student. He scribbled down the equipment they needed to pack, like basic leather armor, some bread and steak, and also a flint-and-steel for fires if they didn't make it in a day. He looked at the list when they were finished. "Xephos, we have all of these things already." The dwarf said, squinting at the paper. "We could leave tomorrow, if you want. Oh, and on our way, we could call on Martyn and Toby. We haven't had any word from them."

Xephos mumbled in assent. He was already digging through a chest, occasionally pulling out something or other, and stuffing it into one of the two small leather bags on the floor next to him. "Yeah, leaving tomorrow would be fine. The sooner we go the better, really. There's nothing much to do around here until the wheat is grown, but then I'll be busy until winter." Honeydew nodded "And then it will be too cold to travel." The dwarf shivered, "We dwarves hate the cold"

Xephos laughed, and stopped suddenly when he gazed out the single window of their small house. The moon was well on its way to the top of the night sky. "We should sleep now, and leave first thing in the morning." Xephos said, and Honeydew agreed, suddenly lethargic. He sleepily bid a good night to the former spaceman and headed into the basement to his bedroom. Though he was fine with being aboveground, he still felt more at home beneath it. His eyelids suddenly felt heavy and he drifted off to sleep the instant his head hit the pillow.

Xephos watched his friend head down the stairs. He quickly finished packing the bags, and went to his own bed. He took a bit longer to float off, first thinking about the trip ahead, then worrying about a strange feeling he had. He felt as though something wasn't right, but what could be wrong? He was happier than he had ever been, and he was looking forward to a pleasant holiday from a simple living. There was absolutely nothing that should be causing this sudden nervous gnaw in his belly, yet nervous he was. He put the disturbing thoughts from his mind and fell into a troubled sleep.

He awoke early the next dawn, and roused Honeydew. He didn't have the anxious feeling anymore, just an excitement to be on the road. (Or rather forest trail.) They left as the sun rose over the tree line, making pleasant conversation. The walk was uneventful, and they made good time. As the day started to end, they knew they were near the clearing Martyn and Toby called home. The two opted to visit the woods people first, since they were in the area. They made their way to the clearing.

They got a little lost in the dim light, but found the trail without incident. Xephos lead the way into the clearing when they reached it, and he was surprised when he saw the extra cabin. His wonderings were interrupted- "Xephos?" Martyn's voice was astonished "And Honeydew!" He sounded pleased. "Wow guys, I didn't know you were in the area!"

Honeydew smiled. "You didn't annoy us enough the last time." He said jokingly. Martyn gasped in mock affront, but couldn't pull it off. He ended up chuckling as he ran over to the duo. "Toby! Kaeyi! You'll never believe who's here!" He called over his shoulder.

Honeydew looked at Xephos. "_Who's Kaeyi?" _he mouthed silently. Xephos shrugged, and was distracted by a tall figure standing to the side of the smaller cabin. He was entirely cloaked in shadows, which seemed to fold around him like fabric. Xephos realized that it was in fact a dark cape that covered the figure. He could have been one of the frightening slender creatures that Honeydew called Enderman, except he was not quite as skinny, and only slightly shorter. There was something sinister about the form, and Xephos become conscious of a rather disturbing detail. The eyes glowed like a cat's, and were a bizarre shade of purple. The figure stared unwaveringly at Xephos, who tore his eyes away.

He gave his attention back to Martyn, who didn't seem to have noticed his lack of it. Toby and a lovely woman had left the fire pit and started towards the others. Still, the figure stood motionless. Honeydew didn't seem to have noticed it, and was greeting the woods people. Xephos tried to ignore the unearthly being and smiled at the women whom he guessed to be Kaeyi. "Hello there." He greeted, and held out his hand. "I'm Xephos, a friend of Martyn and Toby. Honeydew and I just wanted to stop by to catch up with them. We didn't know that you had joined their group."

Kaeyi smiled and awkwardly shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you Xephos. I'm Kaeyi, as I'm sure you've guessed. I've heard a lot about you. From how Martyn made you out to be, I expected you to be twelve feet tall, or something." Xephos smiled uneasily "I assure you, I'm not that interesting."

"Oh, I'm sure you are" This voice came from just behind Kaeyi. She turned quickly. "Oh, hi Ryth-"she stopped suddenly, glancing nervously at Xephos and the figure, uncertain if he wanted his name to be given. The figure smoothly ended the awkward pause by offering Xephos his own hand. "I am Rythian. It is a pleasure to meet you and your friend." He voice had a strange lilt to it, and it was clear despite most of his face being covered by a black mask. He had very long graceful fingers, and what skin Xephos could see was a dark tan. He had a strong grip. Xephos couldn't be sure, but it seemed like his eyes were lighter than they had been a few minutes before.

Martyn, Toby and Honeydew had been deep in a friendly conversation, but had stopped when Rythian had joined them. Xephos was no expert, but Toby seemed very uneasy. Martyn spoke up, and he sounded like a child speaking of something wondrous and unimaginable. "He is the One." He told the newcomers. "From the legends"

It took a moment for Honeydew to remember the stories Martyn had told them about a month ago. When he remembered just what the One was, his dark eyes widened significantly. "I thought those were mere legends!" he exclaimed. "Apparently not" Toby said in a low tone. Honeydew would have expected him to be ecstatic about the One being real, but he actually seemed rather unconvinced about the whole thing. He had been so adamant in his belief, while Martyn was the skeptic. It puzzled the dwarf.

Kaeyi broke the silence yet again, by inviting them all to the fire pit. "It's getting chilly, and the mobs will be out soon. I've made plenty of stew, and you two can stay for the night in the smaller cabin if you would like." They all gravitated towards the warmth of the fire, and caught up on the goings on of the past few weeks. Xephos told them of his plans to visit Lalna, and noticed that Rythian grew still, and even more silent than before. A few moments later he unfroze, but Xephos was the only one that noticed his silence. When Rythian did speak he was kind and charming, and he left a good impression on the visitors. He never showed his face, and Xephos couldn't help but wonder why. He never found a polite way to ask, and so went to bed around midnight, his questions unanswered. Though he was filled with curiosity about the strange, tall man, he had no trouble sleeping.

Kaeyi quietly slipped out of the larger cabin after she was sure everyone else was sleeping. Rythian was waiting just outside of the clearing, with a light pack at his feet. He was wearing the new clothes Kaeyi had made. Some of the stitching was a little uneven, not really enough to be noticeable, and still superior to nearly anything else handmade. Kaeyi had rushed, but Rythian had to get out of here. Kaeyi was good at reading people, and she had a strong feeling that once Xephos learned who Rythian really was from Lalna, he would have no qualms helping the scientist find him. Kaeyi and Rythian walked together away from the cabins, not speaking until they were a good distance from the clearing. When at last they did talk, it was in hushed tones.

"I guess this is really it, huh?" Rythian asked, sounding for the entire world a confused little boy. This life was so new to him, and he was so hounded by danger that he didn't fully understand. All he truly knew is that he had to leave this place, and get far away. He and Brother had worked out the control issue, and agreed to always give control when pressed unless there was a real reason not to. It would help to prevent any temper tantrums and thus, discovery by people that Rythian would rather not be discovered by.

Kaeyi smiled at Rythian. "Just remember, you are a powerful mage, and mages always do what they can for others. Seek them out and they will help you, if they are not corrupt. Go towards Mistral city, but be on guard if you go into the city itself. Another strong Magician resides there, and will know you for who you are instantly. He is old though, and I have heard that he is going senile, so that could be a stroke of luck. Your Powers are unlike any I have ever heard about. You are destined for something significant, but to fulfill it you must remain safe. Please stay safe for me." Rythian was alarmed to see that she was tearing up. Kaeyi had really come to like the mage in the few days they had known each other. Not in a romantic way like she loved Martyn, but like a brother. She had assisted Rythian in every way she could, and now she had to send him off, to protect him from this unfair danger. She only hoped that she would see him again, that Lalna would not succeed in his evil intentions to kill him, or whatever it was he planned.

In a burst of emotion, she grabbed Rythian in a tight embrace, holding him safe against her. He went completely lax, not sure how to react to this sudden change. No one had ever touched him like this before, with affection. It had only been the sharp sting of needles, or quick handshakes. It had never been anything like this. Slowly, he hugged her back, and they stayed like that for a moment. Abruptly, she stepped back from him, and wiped her eyes dry. She smiled, slowly and sadly. "Goodbye Rythian." She whispered. Rythian felt his own eyes start to grow wet, and a single tear slid down his scarred face, until the fabric of his mask caught it. A second tear followed, until Rythian quickly composed himself, blinking rapidly.

He shouldered the leather bag again, and looked out through a gap in the behemoth trees over the nearby valley. He could see that on the other side the foliage was much smaller, unenhanced with the woodland magic. He had to head that way, and keep going. He had the special clothes, simple leather boots, the amulet, an iron sword, and a few days food. Once that was gone he was on his own. He started down the hill, walking quickly so he could be far away by the time the others woke.

Kaeyi watched as he climbed the far hill. He looked back and slowly, hesitantly, he raised a hand in farewell. She blinked a few times, and waved back. He was just near enough that she could see his eyes twinkle over his mask, and turn a darker hue. Rythian turned back around and loped into the forest. As he disappeared into the trees, Kaeyi again sighed, slowly and sadly "Goodbye Rythian"

**End of Chapter 14**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 15**

_(Author's note- Hey guys! I'm sorry for the late posting. I was backpacking the AT for five days. Needless to say, I was pretty exhausted when I got back Friday, and then my family decided that a nice trip to NYC was just the thing for, ya'know peaceful rest on a Saturday. When absolutely __**everyone**__ is out partying and generally being loud. At least the Chinese food was good. I managed to crawl out of bed and get over here to the town library for the wifi, only to find that it wasn't working. Thankfully, I get on pretty well with the librarians, being young and desperate for internet and also having no life. They called me back over when it got fixed, hence it being nearly 7 PM. *Sigh* anyway, I hope that you are less tired than I am, and that you enjoy the chapter. Since it's late, I'm going to wish you a beautiful rest of today, and also a wonderful tomorrow. If you've stuck with me this long you deserve it. Don't forget to leave some feedback in the reviews, you wonderful people. –Mage-Pages)_

Sips pushed through the thick undergrowth, valiantly clearing the path. He seemed quite the brave adventurer, except he wasn't carrying anything, and every branch he pushed aside flew back to slap Sjin in the face. Sjin fumed silently, bent over with the burden of all the stuff he was hauling for Sips. He hadn't signed up for personal servant. No sir! He was supposed to build a few things and maybe delve into the scientific art of dirt mining in exchange for shelter, food, and safety. Instead he was stuck slaving away for this guy. He sighed as he hefted the bags he was carrying higher on his aching shoulders. At least he had a job.

Sips stopped suddenly, and Sjin's momentum made him crash into his employer. They both tumbled to the ground. Sips dragged himself from under Sjin. He stood up, and brushed himself off, muttering darkly under his breath. Sjin tried to get up, but found that the weight of everything he held was pinning him down. Was it really necessary to bring 40 pounds of dirt?

To his alarm, Sips started to stride off. He looked back over his shoulder and shouted "Come on, you big babby! There's a cabin over here." He continued walking away, and was soon out of sight.

Sjin squirmed beneath the packs for a moment before deciding what to do. "Forget this!" he snarled under his breath, as he unbuckled the straps. He rolled the packs off, and stood up, relieved of the burden. He stretched his arms as he surveyed the pile on the ground. Eventually he picked up the things they actually needed, leaving the piles of dirt, the case of martini glasses, and Sip's lawn chair. Sips would have to get those things himself. Sjin was no one's servant. No sir!

Meanwhile, back in the wood-people's clearing, things wear just starting to wake up. One of the first things that Honeydew noticed was Rythian's absence. He quickly pointed it out to Xephos, who shrugged, already deep in thought. The spaceman figured that someone would have an explanation, though he was starting to feel as though something was up.

Kaeyi had gotten up before any of them, and had made some breakfast over the fire that always seemed to be burning. Xephos noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and her overall haggard appearance. Either she hadn't slept well, or she had been up for another reason. He decided not to ask, which was fine, because as everyone sat down to breakfast she told them why

"Rythian had to leave last night." she said quickly "He awoke me, saying that a Great Voice was telling him he had to be elsewhere. He didn't want to wake any of you, so I helped him pack a bag and saw him off. I figured it was One business." Martyn nodded, and more slowly, so did Toby. Xephos could tell when someone was lying with a fair bit of accuracy, and though Kaeyi was quite adept, something about her story was amiss. He pondered silently, more intrigued by the stranger than before. Honeydew helped himself to more bacon.

After the plain but filling meal, Xephos and the dwarf prepared to set out. It would be a quick walk to the laboratory, and they were eager to see their old friend. As they shouldered their packs, Toby offered to walk part of the way with them.

"Oh, no it's fine. We know the way." Honeydew said. "No, really, I want too." Toby responded, looking purposely at Xephos. Xephos knew that look. Things had been different around here, and Toby might have some answers. He nudged the dwarf, perhaps a bit too hard to be subtle, and said "You know what? Why don't we let him? It's a beautiful day out."

Honeydew caught the drift, sore shoulder and all. He glared at Xephos and rubbed his arm. "Fine" he grunted. After the three bid their farewells to Martyn and Kaeyi, they started along the scenic forest trail. After a few minutes, when the camp was out of sight and earshot Toby stopped. He turned towards the other two. "I have something to tell you." He said "I'm pretty sure Xephos knew that already." Honeydew griped under his breath. The spaceman rolled his eyes and gave his full attention to Toby. "Is it about that guy- Rythian?" he asked.

Toby nodded. "I had some suspicions. Not at first, because it was me who first thought he was the One. Now I'm convinced he's anything but. See, I woke up when Kaeyi left the cabin last night, and I decided to follow her, because of the weird way she's been acting. I watched as she met up with Rythian by the edge of the clearing. I thought that maybe she was cheating on Martyn or something dumb like that, but he had a bag with him, filled with stuff. They left into the woods together, and after a minute, I trailed them. Soon I saw them, but I didn't want to get too close. I overheard something about a mage and Mistral city. The she hugged him, but not romantically at all. He left then, and Kaeyi was crying. I ran back to the cabins and acted like I had been sleeping in the guest bed the whole time. A few minutes later she crept in, and got back into bed with Martyn. He is a really heavy sleeper, and didn't notice a thing. I don't know what Rythian is or what he's doing, but I know he's dangerous, and he left as soon as you came. It just didn't seem like leaving was his idea. Kaeyi helped him; she didn't just 'see him off'"

Xephos was a little shocked, but had expected _something_ different from the story Kaeyi had told at breakfast. "Have you told Martyn?" he asked. Toby scoffed and shook his head. "Martyn didn't believe in the One until he saw what Rythian did at the Ceremony. Now he thinks Rythian is a deity beyond mortal judgment. He wouldn't believe otherwise no matter what I told him. He would just think I was jealous or something."

Honeydew had a question of his own "Why don't you think he's the One?" he asked. Toby thought about it a moment, as though searching for concrete evidence. "In the legends, gods can't cry. They don't really feel emotions. Rythian definitely shed at least one tear when he left. A god wouldn't. He is as mortal as you or I, I'm sure." He glanced back over his shoulder. "I should probably head back. That's all I really had to say. You guys stay safe, and keep an eye out for Rythian. I don't trust him after all of these lies and cover-ups. Goodbye." He smiled slightly uneasily, turned, and walked back along the trail towards the clearing.

Just as quickly, Xephos and Honeydew continued on their own way, as though nothing had happened. It was a lot to process, but rather than speak about it, they spoke about unrelated subjects. Soon they broke free of the forest, and shortly they saw the lab, about a half-mile away. They covered the last stretch, and soon were at the front door of the lab. By that point, they were quite exited in the anticipation of seeing their old friend.

They rang the digital doorbell, and nearly immediately a metal shutter slid aside, and a hollow voice asked "Who is it?" The dull eyes peeking out through the gap brightened slightly "Xephos? Wow. Uh, hang on, let me unlock this" The shutter slid closed, and the duo could hear a multitude of locks sliding and clicking. After about a minute of this, the door swung open.

"Enough locks for you huh…" Honeydew said to Xephos, before realizing his companion's silence. He looked up at Lalna, who smiled wanly. The dwarf's eyes widened comically. "What the hell happened to you Lalna!?" he exclaimed.

The scientist chuckled darkly, and broke into a coughing fit. The pallor of his skin fit a corpse better than a living, breathing person. His coat sleeves were rolled up, and he had several bandages on his arms, and stitches held together wounds on his brow and around his eyes. His goggles were askew, and one of the lenses was badly scratched. The other frame lacked a lens completely. There were faint bloodstains on his coat, as though he had scrubbed and scrubbed, but the stain wouldn't leave. He also had a rather large gun strapped to his belt. His eyes held the terrified gleam of a hunted animal. "Let's just say I had a run in with a friend." He said "Come on in and I'll tell you all about it."

**End of Chapter 15**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 16**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys, uploading on time for once! I am in a bit of a rush (leaching some McWifi)and I don't really have much to report, so I just hope that you enjoy the chapter and have a lovely day!)_

When Sjin finally caught up to Sips, he found his employer all but wallowing in the dirt outside of a homely little cabin. "Isn't it beautiful!?" Sips exclaimed. When he saw Sjin's confused look, he quickly explained. "Feel the dirt here! It flows so smoothly through my fingers! It's full of nutrients. It's perfect!" To Sjin's surprise, Sips tasted a bit of dirt on the end of his tongue and nearly broke into tears of joy. Sjin put all of the stuff down. "Uh, Sips?" he started. Sips stopped his playing in the dirt. "What?"

Sjin swallowed nervously. "Well sir, don't you think someone lives here?" he pointed towards the cabin and the buds of wheat in the tiny farm. Sips considered for a second, but his greediness won over. "Of course not! Do you see any people here? They left for some reason. It's perfectly fine for us to dig up the area." Sjin didn't look convinced, so Sips quickly changed the subject. "Where's my lawn chair, anyway?" All of Sjin's rebellious spirit had evaporated upon actually standing up to Sips, and it was all he could do to whisper "I, uh left it in the woods. I'll go get it now."

Sips shook his head. "No, I'll get it. You start digging. And thanks for carrying this stuff all the way." He nudged the pile that was on the ground with his toe, and then headed off into the woods. Sjin watched him leave, and then slowly picked up a shovel that lay on the ground. It was about time he got a little respect and recognition!

Sips backtracked on the trail so that he could pick up the things Sjin had left on the trail. He was glad his employee was growing a spine. He had finally pushed Sjin enough for him to push back. He couldn't intimidate competing companies with a coward. He needed a strong, somewhat independent, brave companion. Also he needed a friend. He could see Sjin becoming that person. Not that he would say that to the luxuriously bearded man.

He passed a man on the trail, which wasn't unusual. It wasn't a busy path, but occasionally a traveler on their way to Mistral city or lands even more distant would use it. They exchanged nods and greetings, not really making eye contact, before heading their separate ways. The encounter didn't really stick in Sip's mind, but Rythian worried about being recognized for a while.

Back by the cabin, Sjin had started to dismantle the fence that was around the budding wheat. He heard someone enter the glade, but figured it was Sips "I dug some dirt up Sips. It's over there." He waved towards a smallish pile, not looking away from the fence. He heard a short cough, and strangely a low moan, followed by "Uh, I'm not Sips." Sjin turned quickly. He saw a tall, dark man standing by the edge of the trees. He was wearing a black shadowy cape, which Sjin figured was the style in some far off land. The man was obviously a traveler, with a brown leather pack and a dark violet mask. Sjin had seen similar masks on desert dwellers that would visit his old village. The stranger spoke up "I'm just passing through. Sorry to disrupt you." Sjin noticed the man's exotic voice- definitely a foreigner.

In the pit of his stomach, Sjin felt uneasy. This man was hiding something. Sjin was a good judge of character, and this guy was shady. "Why don't you take off that mask, friend? Relax, and I'll get some lunch for both of us. And what did you say your name was again?"

Rythian panicked a little, and he blurted out the first name that came to mind. "Uh, I'm Lalna. Thanks for offering, but I really have to go!" He rushed past Sjin and out of the clearing. Sjin knew something was wrong, but couldn't place it until a few minutes after 'Lalna' left. He had never met the scientist personally, but Sips had. Sips had told him about Lalna once. That masked guy was taller, less pale, and darker haired than Sips's description. Sjin wanted to chase after whoever that was, but Sips would return any minute, and he wanted to finish with the fence. He kept a lookout for the masked man though. He had a bad feeling about the whole deal.

Back at the Laboratory, Lalna, Honeydew and Xephos were sitting around a table, each quietly nursing a drink. Xephos sipped on a cup of weak, lukewarm tea that Lalna had scrounged up. Honeydew had a mug of dwarven brew, but rather than guzzling the mead he took small swallows, well aware of the tense atmosphere. Lalna held a glass cup in his shaking hands. It was filled with water, but he hadn't taken a drop. The three sat without speaking for a few minutes, waiting for someone to break the ice, waiting for an explanation.

Xephos watched as Lalna twitched in his seat, shooting a glance over his shoulder. What could have possibly affected his friend so strongly? It seemed the injuries reached past the physical. The scientist was so nervous it was contagious. Xephos caught himself jumping at the sound of Honeydew putting his tankard down, and he didn't even know what he was meant to be scared of! Eventually Lalna put his glass down, still full. He cleared his throat. The dwarf and spaceman, feigning disinterest before, suddenly gave their full attention. Lalna looked at each of them for a moment, looked down, and then softly whispered "I am despicable."

Honeydew, for one, was tired of the waiting. "What happened, Lalna?" He demanded with a hint of impatience in his voice. Lalna gave a start at the roughness of the dwarf's voice, but it spurred him on to tell them what had happened. He raised his gaze again. "The day your ship crashed, Xephos, I started a new project. It involved a new technology I have been practicing. It was… cloning hybrids of different mobs. My first attempt a few years ago failed, in a particularly violent way. Since then I have researched, and I was sure that I could pull it off. I used some DNA from a captive Enderman, some from the indigenous race of Villagers, and-" He sighed. "My own DNA"

Xephos looked worried "The Federation has rules against that, for moral reasons. Not that they could affect you or anything." He paused. "Did the hybrid do this to you?" Lalna winced, and nodded. Xephos looked at the injuries on Lalna's face. They looked unusual, not anything Xephos had seen before. "Has it escaped?" he asked.

Lalna nodded again, vigorously, rocking slightly back and forth. He suddenly started speaking quickly, and faint enough that Xephos and Honeydew had to lean in to hear. "He left in the night, He blew up his cell, He almost killed me, He changed, He healed me, and He escaped. I created Him, and He is dangerous. He is in agony, and He is insane. I have to heal him, or I have to kill him, AND HE CANT DIE!" The scientist screamed the last part, stopping his rocking, and stared with wide, wild eyes at the others.

They backed up, scooting their chairs away from the madman. They hardly noticed that they did this. In his employment with the Federation, Xephos had acted as a hostage negotiator a few times, and now he used the same tactic. He kept his voice low and non-threatening as he asked "Does he have a name?" Lalna's eyes cleared a bit "He is Rythian." Honeydew glanced worriedly at Xephos, who cleared his throat. "I did see someone on my way here. Is your Rythian tall, and tan?" the spaceman asked gently. Lalna nodded, and added "Did he have scars on his face?" Xephos frowned as he thought. Honeydew, who had been quietly listening, answered his question. "I couldn't tell. He wore a mask on his face. And he had violet eyes."

Lalna went paler than he was before. Honeydew, fearing another panic like before quickly spoke up. "Come on Goggles, we'll help you with whatever. I just need you to explain what's going on. How did he heal you? Why can't he die?"

The scientist got up abruptly. "It's easier to just show you. Follow me." He turned; hand on his gun, lab coat fluttering behind him. Xephos jumped up, and rushed to follow him. This was looking to be interesting, and an exhilarating excitement pounded in his veins. Honeydew hurriedly swigged the last of his ale, no sense in wasting such a fine draft. When he finally caught up to the others, he was red faced and panting. He couldn't keep up with the long-legged men easily, because his own were too little.

When he did catch up, Xephos was looking through a sleek microscope as Lalna typed on a small computer in the corner. Xephos was muttering under his breath, occasionally saying something audible, like "hmm, so the strands…" or "remarkable." Honeydew noticed a small cage with bats in it. He walked over to it, and looked at the small creatures. Lalna noticed his interest, and glanced away from the screen long enough to say "Those are just some lab animals" At nearly that exact moment, Xephos looked away from the microscope. "Wow…" he breathed. Lalna cracked a smile, the first real one since Rythian escaped. "It is pretty neat, huh?" The smile dropped from his face, replaced by the haunting gloom that had been there before "If only it weren't working against us."

Honeydew hated being left out. "What's going on? What's working against us? I don't know what's going on!" The other two stopped their talking and looked at him. Xephos smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, friend. It's something to do with Rythian's special DNA. See, it 'heals', in a way. First it rips itself apart, every single strand." His hands, folded before, came apart "It's probably because the different genomes from the different 'parent' Beings want to divide into separate parts. This would kill you or me, but evidently doesn't kill him. The kicker is that it doesn't stay ripped up. Over the course of around five minutes, it completely heals" He laced his fingers back together.

Honeydew's face was blank. "Right… well, other than not dying, what's so special about it?" Lalna had walked over to the bat cage, but now looked up "Because it makes him immortal." His voice was dead, not strained or panicked, just accepting. "Any injury he gets heals within minutes. A drug that would send you to sleep for a day would last him about a hour, because his metabolism is fast, like an Enderman's. Oh, and he also has insane powers, but I don't know how _those_ work. And he saved me with them" His voice grew distant. "It's completely my fault"

He ran his fingers through his fair hair, eventually settling his face in his hands. He was like that for a moment, both Xephos and Honeydew uncertain how to help. Suddenly the scientist looked up, eyes brighter than before. "Wait, you said he wore a mask, right?" The others both nodded. "Excellent. He might still have the scars, and didn't want to be recognized. If he still has the scars than the fire he started _did_ harm him permanently." He paused his musing, and looked at the other two, a liveliness about him the others hadn't seen in awhile.

"Gentlemen, I've got something to show you"

**End of Chapter 16**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 17**

_(Hey guys! I decided to upload early for a reason. I'm not even entirely sure, but I just sort of felt like it. So here you go. It's a short one, so it's all good. I hate to beg for reviews, but if you want to see anything happen or just have some feedback, I would love to hear (figuratively) it! anyway, I hope Y'all enjoy the chapter, and have a lovely (rest of) your day!)_

After escaping confrontation with the brown-haired man in the clearing, Rythian had hurried along the trail for a few minutes, before ducking off of the path and taking a break. He felt Brother slide over his own consciousness, and didn't resist. After a momentary twinge in his joints, he was a bystander.

"That was close, Brother." Rythian said, as he stood and brushed the leaves and forest loam from his knees. _"Yeah. I thought Kaeyi told us that there weren't many people around here. You're going to have to be ready. I'm sorry I had to force control back there. It hurts me as much as you." _

"Right, right." Rythian agreed, not really paying attention. He was already making speed across the uneven roots and stones. "I suppose you would know, _Lalna." _He smiled at his own joke. Brother sighed mentally. _"C'mon, it's just the first name that came to mind, besides our own of course. I panicked. We probably shouldn't have told Xephos our name."_

"It was your idea! I wasn't even in control." Rythian protested. _"Calm down Brother. I know. We just have to be more careful. Not that it really matters now Xephos was going to Lalna. We just have to hope they don't follow." _Rythian rolled his eyes, and took off the mask, which was making his face sweaty.

The sun had been setting steadily, and the first hint of darkness was creeping along the ground. Rythian noticed and raised his hands, ready to disintegrate any monsters giving them trouble. He hadn't fought anything before, besides the scientist, who hadn't even really tried to fight back. To be honest, he eagerly awaited the bloodlusty euphoria. He blasted at a zombie that had started to shamble clumsily towards him. The purple fire enveloped the poor creature, and nothing but ash remained. A tree had been caught in the blaze, and fire raced up its trunk. Rythian laughed feverishly at the power he wielded, and a feral grin distorted his features. The fire cast a strange light, making his face ghoulish.

Brother felt strange and disconnected, as though he might slip away entirely if Rythian didn't stop. _"Brother…Brother… BROTHER!" _Rythian was deaf to his pleas. He just blasted away monster after monster, some of which were simply fleeing the spreading fires. His insane cackling would strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest men. Suddenly a terrific force struck him in the back of the head. He fell over, and got a glimpse of a black figure that suddenly vanished as soon as he spotted it.

When Rythian was attacked Brother was entirely cast out of the body. He screamed mutely. As he saw Rythian fall to the ground he could see the tall dark figure with eyes so like his own. He knew the name for the creature, somehow better and clearer than all of the other memories._ Enderman. _ With that realization he felt a rush, and he was back in the body, still an observer. _"Get up Brother! That thing will kill you!" _

Rythian leapt up, eyes and hands blazing. "Where were you?" He demanded. _"Not right now! Kill that thing!" _Brother's tone surprised Rythian, and he raised his hands up in front of himself, nearly against his will. He felt faint and out of it. The familiar shooting pain paralyzed his arms. That was all it took to break him out of his daze. He saw a slight distortion in front of the trees and he blasted with every bit of strength he had. A storm of fire illuminated the black, unnaturally long-limbed figure. The sight of it struck a strange, primal fear into his heart. More frightening than the long thick needles Lalna used, more real than the strange nightmares that haunted him in his sleep. The inexplicable terror seized his extremities. _"No! Brother…." _The Voice screamed, but the sound was faint. Rythian saw everything through a tunnel. He fell to the ground, hardly feeling the impact past the strange haze the fear brought

The otherworldly figure knelt next to him. One spidery arm reached out and it gently stroked the hair from Rythian's eyes. Its touch burned like an icy fire. Its mouth didn't move as it hissed. **_"You are not like us. You can not be allowed to exist. Master decrees it." _**It raised one hand up, and Rythian's heart stuttered. His hands and feet went numb. He felt a great tearing sensation, and everything went black, but only for a moment. Brother had forced control again. As the Enderman lowered its hand, now glowing, Rythian rolled aside, and stumbled to his feet. The Enderman growled, confused, and snapped its head to where Rythian was standing. Rythian swallowed his dread, and charged headlong at the monster. The sparks of his magic raced along his arms, and around his hands. Before the Enderman had a chance to react, Rythian had already thrust his hands into the creature's torso, and was sending pulse after pulse of electricity through it.

The beast trembled on the ground, a faint howl erupting from its throat. Then, at last it was still. Rythian bowed his head, panting. The monster's corpse puffed into smoke, leaving behind a glowing green orb. Rythian picked it up, and he suddenly felt revitalized, perhaps even too much energy coursed through his body. His hands started to sting, and he dropped the orb. He looked at his hands, now crossed with angry red burns. He awaited the small sparks that would heal him, but none came. _"Why did it do that?" _Brother asked, his voice somewhat shaky. "Which one, the orb or the monster?" Rythian inquired, doing his best to ignore the throbbing burns in his hands. Brother took a moment to respond. _"I don't know. The monster." _

Rythian looked at his hands again, and quickly picked up the green sphere and put it in his pack before it could burn him. Then he thought about Brother's question. "Well, the Enderman said '_You are not like us' _I don't really know what that means. Did it expect us to be like it?" The question was hypothetical, but Brother answered it anyway_ "Surely you know that we aren't fully human. Even Kaeyi said that our powers were far stronger than any other Mage's. Something Lalna did to us, perhaps even as he was creating us, gave us these powers. Is it too far-fetched to believe_ _that Enderman blood runs through our veins?" _

Rythian's glowing eyes widened "And that's why it tried to kill us? It makes sense but…" Brother finished his sentence _"We have another enemy now." _

**End of Chapter 17**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 18**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! I'm sorry for the late upload (Yet again!) At my house, we're working on actually getting internet, which means I won't have to run all over town looking for unguarded WIFI. However, that isn't for a few days, and in the meantime, I have been unbelievably busy moving furniture, because in a textbook case of typical family logic- "Let's move ALL of the rooms around before the cable guy gets here!" so yeah, I've been dragging furniture upstairs to the apartment and then around the apartment, and more importantly not writing or… wait for it- Uploading. Sorry about that, and it shouldn't happen again, as I said before, I will have internet. Thanks for understanding enough about me, how are you? How do you like the story? I hope you are enjoying it, and I would absolutely adore some feedback. Hope you all have a lovely day!)_

After his announcing that he had an idea, Lalna had stridden off into another room, leaving Xephos and Honeydew staring after him. "You reckon he's alright?" Honeydew asked. The spaceman merely shrugged, staring with a perplexed expression after the scientist. "We should probably follow him." He said after a sizeable pause. The dwarf nodded his assent. They hurried out the room.

The wove through an assortment of long twisting hallways, and when they caught up to Lalna, it was in a cool, very dark room. Xephos tripped over a wire on the floor, and flailed for balance. His wind milling arms caught Lalna squarely in the face. "Mph!" the scientist griped. They both fell to the ground in a heap. "Can you really not see?" Honeydew asked as he helped them both up. "No! It's too dark!" was the cross reply from Xephos. The spaceman brushed the dust from his clothes, the dark making his movements clumsy. "Must be a dwarf thin-" Honeydew mused, distracted suddenly by a flicker of green light.

To his surprise, it came not from a torch, but rather Lalna's face. A tiny green lightning bolt traced its way around his features, spending the most time around his eyes. The glow of the light showed that one of them was bloodshot, likely from its collision with Xephos's elbow. Both Honeydew and Xephos stared in amazement, jaws agape. Just as suddenly, the spark sputtered from existence.

Without speaking, Lalna lit a torch, which burned with a low wavering light. "I have to keep it fairly dark in here." He explained. He felt the stares of the others burning a hole in his back. Eventually Honeydew, patient and polite as ever, exclaimed "What the hell Lalna!?"

The light that illuminated his face only made the scientist appear sallower "That's what I came here to explain. See, when Rythian-" He shuddered when he said the name. "When he healed me, I think he accidently left too much of his power inside of me. My body isn't meant to contain or channel the force he is able to control. He healed every injury I had, and a few old aches that used to bother me." He leaned on his left leg, which he had broken after falling out of his bedroom window when he was ten.

"About a day after I recovered from the unconsciousness he had caused, I started to notice it. The way my skin grew paler and paler, how some parts of my skin started to split, and of course the healing. From what I can tell, the power cannot or will not heal what it has caused. That's why the-" he gestured to the bandages and stitches on his face and arms. The other two nodded. Lalna took a breath "I can feel the power ripping me apart. I need to fix this somehow. The only upside is that I have some idea of how to injure Rythian…" His voice trailed off as he mumbled something about samples. He walked over to a nearby self that the torch's weak light barely covered. He looked over the contents, still quietly mumbling.

Honeydew raised his eyebrows at Xephos, who frowned. The dwarf twirled his index finger around his temple, while he mouthed _"Crazy!" _The spaceman just rolled his eyes and walked over to the scientist. He put his hand gently on Lalna's shoulder, and the scientist turned around. Xephos looked straight into his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked. Lalna sighed, a long downtrodden sound. "No." He replied finally. "I'm not okay, but you don't understand how dangerous he is! It's my responsibility to stop-"

"Shh, I _do _believe you. We both do." He glared over the scientist's shoulder at Honeydew, who quickly stepped forward and joined their little, damaged huddle. "Uh, yeah, we both believe you. Of course." The dwarf said awkwardly. He felt someone kick his shin, but purposely ignored it.

"We will help you however we can." Xephos told the scientist. "We will protect you, and stop Rythian. Now how can we do that? You said you knew how to capture him." Lalna turned away again, and picked up a vial of what looked to be blood. He put the vial in a small foil sleeve. "If you guys will follow me, I'll show you how I aim to stop him."

He walked off once again, but less hurriedly. Xephos easily kept pace with the scientist's long stride, but Honeydew still had some trouble, and he hurried after the others huffing and puffing. Xephos still had some questions about the powers that Rythian and seemingly Lalna, had. "So, about this force that Rythian controls… How does he do it? What exactly can he do?" He asked. Lalna looked away from Xephos, deep in thought, or perhaps unpleasant memories. Eventually he had an answer. "Well, he can throw it out in a huge blast, which is how I believe he escaped. He can shoot flames from his hands, or electricity, depending on-" he stopped suddenly.

The two both stopped their walking, and Honeydew caught up. His breathing was heavy, and it was hard to make out what he said, but it was something to do with "Older than both of you." and "respect for your elders." concluding with a hardy "Walk slower!" Xephos hardly noticed Honeydews tired pleas, his full attention on Lalna. "Depending on what Lalna?" The scientist sighed "You won't believe me Xephos. It's too farfetched. You both already think I'm crazy."

Honeydew, still red-faced, moved to stand on the other side of the scientist. "Listen. We don't really think you're that crazy. You have to tell us what he can do, because we can't fight him unprepared. We've seen him once, and we know that he has already started off towards Mistral city. Now quit being dense!" Lalna's eyes had widened when Honeydew said Mistral city, but the dwarf's pep talk had some effect on the scientist. He took a deep breath "Rythian has multiple personalities. One of them is violent, and wouldn't think twice before killing someone. The other is the polar opposite. That's the one that healed me. They somehow switch control over the one body. When I had him in the lab, he passed out for the switch, but as he escaped, something changed. 'Good' Rythian stole control from 'Bad' Rythian about a second before he would have killed me. That was the first time he seemed actually aware of the person he shared headspace with. When he forced control, it seemed to cause a great deal of pain." They all continued walking as Lalna told his story.

"Rythian had scars on his face, which hadn't been there before. They looked like they had healed over a long period of time, not a few minutes. They had been caused, I think, by a fire he started when he knocked over a cart that had reactive chemicals on it. The fire that resulted was far greater than it should have been." Lalna's voice had grown unemotional and calculating, less human and more machine. "The fire likely leached some of Rythian's power, and since the fire was now partially comprised of his power, and partially an outside force, he could only heal the short term damage. He felt no pain from it, because that healed, but the scars, the long term, could not heal. It's like how the power he left in me won't heal what it causes." They had arrived at one of the grander entryways in the lab. Xephos could see sleek machines humming away, quietly sorting and analyzing.

As the others watched, Lalna pulled the vial of blood from the foil packet, and prepared a slide. He keep it shaded, not allowing much light to hit it. He explained why without their asking. He seemed more open now that he had told them about Rythian. "This is his uh, blood. Light damages it, which is why I'm doing my best to keep it undercover." Xephos took a closer look, as Lalna was adjusting one of the larger microscopes. "It's not the right color for blood. Do you know why?" The scientist looked away from the machine. "Yeah, I've noticed the purplish tinge as well. I can't say why exactly. My best guess is that it's the Enderman influence. The monsters don't like sunlight, and neither does the blood. Any light damages it to some extent, but the healing just fixes it. If a cell dies completely, it can only be brought back by a combination of the power and an electric spark from another source."

As he spoke, he flipped a switch on the side of the microscope. The image of the slide projected onto a nearby screen. He fiddled with a dial, and the image magnified greatly, until the image was of a few disk-shaped cells. Every few seconds, an invisible pulse would go through them, and they would shake. "That vibration is the healing. It doesn't have a visible appearance unless it is a large external injury, from what I can tell. Now watch." Lalna pressed another button, and a very bright light illuminated the cells. The pulse started to pass through them faster and faster, until a moment later, it just stopped. The disks shriveled up, and started to take on a grayish tinge. The pulse was still there, but it was faint and unable to actually heal the dead cells.

"So, that's how you could kill him, right?" Honeydew asked. Lalna shook his head "No. Any injury that could cause bleeding would heal before the cells could all die. The light that can actually kill the cells is around a ten times stronger than the light we receive from the sun. Also these cells are not really dead. They're just sleeping, in a way. See, when I run an electrical current through them-" He pressed a combination of buttons. A tiny white spark zigzagged among the cells, they regained their color, and the pulse began to pass through them again. "They reanimate…" Xephos said his tone nearly reverent. He turned to Lalna. "Do you know how this affects his other cells?" He asked.

Lalna was quick with his answer "This only works with his blood. It is more Enderman than human, but the rest of him seems to be well balanced. I believe that the healing pulse is the same among different cells though, based on my observations. Rythian's power cannot heal what it has caused to itself. In that case, he would heal at the same rate as one of us." The other two nodded in agreement.

"But Lalna, you said that you can't control his power. How can you use it to harm him?" Honeydew asked. The scientist sighed as he pulled out a syringe from a drawer. "That's what I'm trying to figure out." He glanced at his watch. "It's late guys. You should go to bed. I have to test a few more things." Xephos and Honeydew took the hint and left to their guest rooms, talking about plans for after they left the lab. They thought that they might go to Mistral city, and keep an eye out for Rythian, rather than resuming their predictable life at their small cabin.

Lalna waited until they left before rolling up his sleeves and wiping his wrist with an antiseptic pad. He took the syringe and carefully drew his own blood. There was no need for a bandage, as the green sparks made short work of the puncture. It was time for some more analysis.

**End of Chapter 18**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 19**

_(Hey guys! Turns out I might not be getting internet for a little while because our landlord won't let us run any cable lines anywhere. I'm pretty sure that it's illegal to prevent us from getting internet, but I'm fifteen and no one listens to fifteen-year-olds, soo… I'm a bit out of luck on this one. I'll keep leaching WIFI until I figure out when I'll be getting internet at home. Decided to upload now, off of schedule, because I never know when I'll be somewhere with WIFI. I hope you are all having a better time than me, enjoy the chapter, and have a wonderful day!)_

After his run in with the Enderman, Rythian's night was fairly uneventful. He had stopped the fires after discovering that he could take the energy from them. As the fires waned, he felt the power rush through him. Without them, it was rather dark, but his pale eyes had no trouble seeing. He kept a close eye out for more mobs, but they were absent, possibly due to the fire. _"You don't think there will be another Enderman, do you?" _ Brother asked. "No. Even if there is another, I don't think it's going to mess with us after what we did to the other. Still, that was a close call."

_"__Yeah, let's not do that again. What do you think of that green ball, anyway? Didn't it burn you?" _Rythian looked at his hands. The burns were still there, not awful, but definitely uncomfortable. "I don't know what it is. I think it's something that Endermen keep with them. Maybe it's their power source. If we are in fact partially Enderman, then maybe we can only accept some of the power, and not as much as it wants to give us. That's why it burned us, because it was simply too much energy." Rythian couldn't believe how easily he accepted the possibility that part of him was that vicious monster he had killed.

_"__That would make sense. Nothing else would really explain the power we felt or the burns." _ Brother paused for a moment. _"I really hate Endermen. We should kill them all." _ Rythian rolled his eyes. Mid roll, he felt the sickeningly familiar pain curl his feet and shoot up the back of his legs. The back of his head erupted in pure agony. Brother screamed silently, while Rythian found that he couldn't utter a sound. Somehow, through his pain, he remembered the charm that Kaeyi had given him. He fell to his knees, his vision constricting. He cupped the amulet with trembling, paralyzed hands.

For one terrifying moment, nothing happened. Then all at once, relief rushed through him. It was almost too strong, like ice on a burn. He was still unable to move, and he was still aware of the pain, but he didn't feel it. As he passed out, it was more like falling asleep than getting crushed by a wall.

Rythian opened his now-dark eyes, about thirty minutes later, feeling fine and blissfully pain free. He got to his feet, shaking his head. _"Well, at least we know the charm works." _Brother remarked. "We should probably sleep for real now. Then we can get an early start tomorrow." Brother agreed sleepily, already drifting off himself. Rythian found a nice spot just off the trail, and settled down on the soft leafs. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep to the lullaby of crickets chirping and owls hooting.

He awoke the next morning, and immediately noticed the man standing a few feet away. His dark eyes widened, and he leapt to his feet, a strangled yelp stuck in his throat. The poor stranger might well have been barbeque had Brother not yelled _"Stop! Give me control!" _Rythian relaxed as much as he was able given his surprise, and switching control was nearly painless. _"For Notch's sake! What is it with people standing over us as we sleep?" _Brother yelled hysterically. Rythian did his best to ignore the yammering in his head, and he turned to face the stranger, who looked at him with an open, earnest face.

"I wasn't sure if you were ok." The stranger said. "You know, sleeping on the ground an' all." He thrust out his hand. "Me name's Nilesy by the way." Rythian took this all in for a moment, as the stranger spoke very quickly. _"I think we're far enough away from Lalna to use our real name." _ Brother said. Rythian considered quickly. He didn't want to hide under a fake identity forever. If Lalna was going to find him, he would find him, fake name or no. His mind decided, he grasped Nilesy's hand. "I'm Rythian. It's nice to meet you." Nilesy let go of Rythian's hand, and yelled over his shoulder "Hey, Lomadia! The guy's woken up!" To Rythian he explained, "We've been watching you for a few hours, to make sure no baddies messed you up." Rythian nodded, not entirely sure what to think. "Uh, thanks." He said.

Soon afterward, he saw a blonde woman heading towards them. She had something on her shoulder, but Rythian couldn't make out what it was until she was closer. A fluffy owl sat calmly on her shoulder, preening its feathers. When it spotted Rythian it puffed up defensively, and hooted, though it sounded like a hiss. "Shh Mr. Owl, he's a friend." She said, and nodded towards Rythian. "He's usually very friendly. It's good to see you're awake. I'm Lomadia." Her tone was cordial. Rythian smiled "I'm Rythian. Thank you for looking out for me as I slept. I thought it would be safe." At that moment he realized he wasn't wearing his mask. He quickly stooped to pick up his bag, and started to rummage through it.

When his fingers found the soft fabric of the mask, he didn't hesitate to quickly tie it around his head. The other two looked at him with puzzled expressions. "You don't have to hide your scars." Nilesy informed Rythian "It's just us out here, and we don't care." Lomadia nodded her agreement. "It's just the custom where I live." Rythian lied.

"Oh, have you traveled far?" Lomadia asked. "Uh, yeah, really far." He replied, looking through his bag again. He noticed how little food he had left." You two don't happen to know of any villages around here, do you? I could do with buying some more rations." He didn't have any money, but figured he could work or trade for supplies. "Well it depends on which way you're going." Nilesy explained. "That way-" He pointed down the trail. "Is a village, about five miles, I think?" Lomadia nodded. Nilesy continued. "We're going that way. Eventually you get to Mistral city. The other way is Lalna's laboratory, about a day from here. I'm pretty sure that he would help you out if you asked."

Rythian's heart had dropped at the mention of the scientist. "Oh, you guys know Lalna, huh?" he asked, his mouth dry. "Yeah, we grew up as children together. We really should have stopped by the lab, had I thought about it." Lomadia answered. Rythian tried to slow his panicked heart. These two didn't know who he was. He had no reason to be worried. "I, uh, ran into him, as I passed by. Quite an um, charming fellow. He's doing well. But I'm going the other way as well." He spoke quickly, but the others didn't seem to have noticed his nerves.

"If you're going that way too, we could travel together." Nilesy suggested. Rythian quickly agreed "That would be great!" Anything to keep them away from Lalna! Lomadia pursed her lips as she went through her own bag. "Hey Nilesy," She said distractedly "I think I'll send a letter to Lalna, and apologize for not stopping by." She pulled out a small wooden box from her bag and opened it. It was a miniature writing station, with an inkwell, some parchment, and some long feather quills. They looked to be owl feathers.

She quickly scrawled a letter onto some paper, and looked up at Rythian. "Do you want me to mention you, and tell him that you're well?" Rythian quickly shook his head. "Oh, please, don't worry about it. We only met in passing." As he spoke the next sentence, he felt Brother smirk.

"I doubt he even remembers me."

**End of Chapter 19**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 20**

_(Hey guys! Believe it or not, I was nominated for the ice bucket challenge by Spiritedandloyal. So I'll be doing that in a few hours. Seeing as something like that goes both ways, I have to challenge some other people. I quite wanted to involve my readers some more, so what better way than to dump freezing water on your heads? Ok, so the lucky three are-_

_Applesauceinabox_

_Trickymander_

_Runaway-sanity_

_Sorry to put y'all on the spot, but I really needed someone. I don't know many people irl, so this was the best I could do. I havn't actually done it yet, so I guess you might have a bit more than 24 hours. those three above, PM me, and I'll send you the proof that I did it. (in a little while) I hope that you all enjoy the Chapter, the water, and that you all have a wonderful day!)_

Xephos was awoken by Honeydew tramping into his room. The dwarf looked up to see that his friend was awake, and yawned. "Lalna told me to get you. He made some sort of breakthrough with the blood." Honeydew rubbed his eyes and yawned again, then left the room, walking back towards the Laboratory wing. Xephos was quick to follow, pausing just to pull on some proper clothes and some shoes. Soon he was rushing down the hall, eager to hear the news.

When he did finally reach the others, they were standing around a whirring machine. Lalna blinked hard, massaging his temple. He obviously hadn't been to bed, as the dark circles under his eyes also attested to. He merely tilted his head to acknowledge Xephos's presence. The three stood in sleepy silence, watching the machine. It seemed to be spinning vials very quickly.

In due course, the contraption slowed, and then stopped altogether. Lalna spoke for the first time as he plucked a vial from the machine. His voice was slow and tired "As you can see, this apparatus has separated the blood into separate parts. Normally we would only see three parts; red cells, plasma, and white cells." His voice gained some animation "In this sample, taken from myself, we can observe four. I believe the fourth layer is what grants the healing powers, and perhaps carries the rest of the energy required for the strange spectacles Rythian can perform." As he spoke he pointed out the different layers on the sample he held. The special fourth layer was the smallest section of blood, less than a hundredth of the liquid in the vial. It was also the least in density, as it was the topmost layer.

Xephos and Honeydew watched in silence as Lalna kept speaking. As he spoke, he also pulled out a small gun-like object and fiddled with it. "That sample had been run through the machine four times. I originally had a pint of blood, and out of all of it, I only got that much Energy. Or 'Essence' as I've taken to calling it" He opened a tiny trapdoor on the gun, and after skimming the fourth layer from the rest of his blood, carefully poured it in. The way the Essence flowed was smother and thicker than other liquids. Lalna closed the trapdoor. "Now I'm going to allow an electric current to contact the Energy." He said, pressing a button next to the trigger. A vacuuming sound came from the gun, which grew warm to the touch. A meter on the side of it filled and started to flash.

Lalna set up the microscope once again. "This is the same sample of Rythian's blood that we saw last night- well, a few hours ago." He pulled on thick gloves, and used a pipette to get the smallest amount of liquid possible from inside the gun. There was much more of it than before, and it had more of a gaseous texture than a liquid one, not quite either. The image of the cells was again projected on the screen. Lalna positioned the pipette over the slide, and let a tiny drop fall onto it.

Immediately, the cells withered up and turned a dull grey. A kind of frantic energy filled the scientist. He turned eyes wide to the other two. "They don't reanimate either." He said, pressing the button that had previously passed the current through the cells. The same current simply rattled the cases, and none of the cells changed in any way. Lalna breathed a deep sigh of relief. "I don't have to worry anymore." A wide smile blossomed across his face. "I can relax." He abruptly started to cough, a dry hack.

"Are you alright?" Honeydew asked. Lalna tried to speak through the sudden coughs that racked him. "Just the extra energy…. It'll pass." Xephos and the dwarf grew increasingly alarmed as Lalna started to turn blue. Xephos tried to recall the correct emergency procedure, but couldn't think of one for coughing. The scientist wasn't choking on anything. As he was about to leap into action anyways, Lalna gradually regained his ability to breathe. He sunk to his knees and gulped the air. "It's the power Rythian gave me." He gasped. "It's getting worse."

Slowly, his color improved. Still, the other two decided to keep watch over him. Now that he could respire, he was pretty distant, which could also have been the tiredness. After an hour of quiet musing, he spoke up. "You know, if I could learn to use the Power like Rythian does, it would be so much easier to defeat him. I wouldn't need this gun or anything. It's really inefficient." Xephos had been idly fiddling with a bit of fluff on the cuff of his shirt, but now looked up. "Inefficient how?" He asked

The scientist was slow to answer, as he had started to doze off. "The activated power that I created in the gun's chamber used nearly a pint of my blood. It's only enough for one shot, and it has to be sure. Hitting him in the arm or the leg wouldn't drop him. I'm sure that in time, it would even heal, as unhurt skin and muscle grew onto the wound. It wouldn't be instantaneous like the other healing, but it would still happen." He closed his eyes. "It has to be a kill shot…" It took a moment for the spaceman to realize that Lalna had fallen asleep. Honeydew had excused himself fifteen minutes earlier. Xephos figured he was either sleeping or mining. Both were things he did when faced with a lot of information or a tough problem.

Xephos leaned on the wall, sitting next to the dozing scientist. The soft hum of the machines around him was soothing, in a strange, impersonal way. He closed his eyes and let the data flow through his brain. Despite the condition Lalna was in when he and Honeydew arrived, the man he met at the campfire simply didn't strike him as malicious or dangerous. A bit quiet, perhaps shy, yes. But not a killer. Xephos knew that right now, Lalna was fueled by his sense of responsibility, and that he was taking a scientific view of everything. Rythian was just a failed experiment, something to clean up. When the scientist had the gun in his hand, and was looking in the eyes of the life he created, Xephos knew it would be different. Lalna wasn't a killer either.

Soon his thoughts wandered aimlessly, and forgetting temporarily the trials past and to come he drifted off to sleep. When he awoke several hours later, faint sunlight streamed through the tiny, high up windows. Lalna was stirring, and he could hear the tramping of Honeydew's boots in the corridor.

The spaceman stood up, muscles aching from sleeping on the floor. Soon Lalna had joined him, looking much improved from the sleep he had gotten. Honeydew walked in the doorway, pickaxe over his shoulder and rock dust on his shoes. He hadn't slept, although it didn't really show. The dwarf seemed revitalized from his time in the mines.

"Good morning everyone. What's the plan for today?" The dwarf asked. Lalna rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Well, I do have one last thing to show you. It might help you on your way home." Xephos's eyebrow rose slightly "Are we leaving today?" he questioned, truly uncertain if Lalna would be able to cope without help. Lalna nodded. "I think it'll be okay." He cracked a genuine smile. "I'm in a much better state of mind now. I know that something is possible. Even if worst comes to worst, I have some kind of control." Honeydew looked at Xephos, who thought for a moment. Finally, he spoke.

"Okay, what did you want to show us? We'll definitely stay if you-" he stopped himself from saying need, as he didn't want to belittle the scientist "Want us too." He finished. Lalna shook his head. "I'm fine, really. Now, I think that you'll really like this." He started to stride away, and Honeydew sighed. "Why does everyone have to walk so fast?" He muttered. All was well though, because the scientist only walked a short way down the corridor, to a small storage room. He pressed a few buttons, and one of the the walls folded up, revealing what lied beneath.

"Jetpacks" Xephos exhaled. Indeed, three sleek, shiny packs were bolted to the wall, gleaming like diamonds. They all had a similar structure, with a box that would rest on the back of the user, and two metal tubes with burners at the bottom. One of the packs had slightly wider, but shorter tubes, as though it had been designed for a wide, but short person. "Did you make these for us in particular?" Honeydew asked, staring at the jetpack made to fit him. Lalna nodded. "I felt as though it was important. Now you could use them to get home quickly, so that's pretty good. These packs can only hold enough fuel for a round trip flight to your place. They're really only prototypes, but I assure you, they're perfectly safe. I'm working on building others." Lalna quickly explained the controls, which were unexpectedly simple. The scientist quickly went to the guest room to grab their bags while the other two looked at the instructions one last time.

Soon, the dwarf and the spaceman had put on their packs and were bidding their farewells to Lalna. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to let us know." Xephos said. Then the duo was blasting off. Honeydew had some trouble with the height. As a dwarf, he was used to small tunnels, not huge, high up, open spaces. On the other hand, it was second nature to Xephos. He helped Honeydew overcome his trepidation, and swiftly, they were headed home. The trip that took them more than a day one way took less than an hour the other.

They touched down in the woods about a quarter mile from their house after a flashing 'Half fuel' symbol started to go off. They walked the rest of the way easily, as the jetpacks were very light, enjoying the cool air and light breeze. When Xephos reached the edge of their clearing, he stopped dead. Honeydew peeked around him, and was shocked speechless by what he saw.

Their cabin lay in ruins, parts of the roof broken off, and parts of it rebuilt with different materials. The wheat farm that Xephos had worked so hard on was also destroyed; the fence missing and the soil churned and dug out in some places. Random holes pocked the open land, as deep as six feet. Standing in the middle of the destruction was a shirtless, tan, brown haired man, with extraordinarily luxurious facial hair and the muscles of a guy who often did hard labor. He looked up from his digging of another hole to meet eyes with two furious and confused individuals. His own eyes widened and he took a pace back. "Sips… I think we have a problem!" he shouted into the cabin. Honeydew stepped past the tree line just as another man, much paler, and fully clothed, joined the first.

Honeydew looked at the strangers, fury boiling in the pit of his stomach. These strangers had destroyed his home! He yelled then, sounding like some sort of war beast, not a dwarf of only a few feet. "Who in the hell are you?!"

**End of Chapter 20**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 21 **

_(Hey guys! I'm very sorry that again, my upload is late. School just started here, and I completely forgot that uploading needs to happen on Fridays. Am I the only one who is suddenly exhausted by the thought of waking up for school? I still have several years to go, and I'm already done with waking up in the morning. It's to the point where everything I write has at least one line of random letters where I fell asleep on my keyboard. I'm working on sleeping more, but I'm generally a nocturnal person. What's this daytime you speak of? Can I eat it? (yeah, I'm dozing off right now if you couldn't tell) anyway, please leave a review so I know what y'all think of this, enjoy the chapter and have a wonderful day!)_

"Who in the hell are you?!"

Sjin stared at the two intruders. He had learned about dwarves in school before, but had never met one personally. He knew that the trembling ball of rage standing a few feet away was one of the underground folk, so his choice in companion was a bit unusual. The other man was tall, nearly twice the height of the dwarf. His pale hands were clenched in anger, but his voice was under control as he spoke. "Who are you, and what have you done to our home?"

Sjin cleared his throat awkwardly, not letting the other two out of sight as he looked at his boss. To his surprise, Sips was holding a piece of yellowed paper that had fancy archaic script across the top. He could just make out the word 'Deed'. Sips's tone was confident, and even arrogant. "Sjin, I'll handle it from here. I'm afraid, gentlemen, that I own this land. This is Sipsco property. You can take your belongings and leave. You have one hour to vacate the premises." He had walked a few steps towards them, and now turned, so they couldn't see the smirk he gave Sjin.

Honeydew remembered the name Sips from something Lalna had said, the first time they had met. "Dirt?!" he demanded incredulously. "You're throwing us out to sell _dirt_?!" Sips turned his demeaning leer on the other two, turning again. "Yes." He said. "Time's ticking." He tapped his wrist, and Honeydew lost it. He was only angry before. Now he was livid and his complexion approached the vivid red of his hair. He took an enraged leap at Sips, who froze, unable to react quickly enough. Xephos tackled the dwarf, because the last thing they needed was a fight on their hands.

He fought to keep the dwarf on the ground. Honeydew was fighting like a monster. "Listen!" Xephos hissed in the dwarf's ear as he struggled to pin him. "They've destroyed everything, and we knew living here was only temporary. We can go to Mistral city like we planned before." The dwarf stopped fighting as hard, still resisting a good bit. Xephos kept whispering "They both have swords. We have nothing." Indeed, Sjin had skillfully drawn an iron sword, and Sips inexpertly held a stone one. Honeydew's thrashing ceased, and the dwarf let out an angry and tense sigh. After a moment, Xephos let him stand.

The dwarf glowered at Sips as he picked up the few things that they had brought from Lalna's lab. They had spilled from the bag Xephos had been carrying. Among the clothing and extra food, he was surprised to see a glint of metal. He quickly scooped it into the bag before Sips or Sjin could see it. He straightened with a groan, and faced the spaceman, trying his best to keep the aggravation and fury out of his voice. "Right then, we should get any of our stuff that they haven't destroyed out of the cabin." He shot Sjin a withering glare, who grinned sweetly back, waving a few fingers. The dwarf growled an obscenity under his breath and stomped over to the cabin, leaving the bag by Xephos's feet.

Xephos faced the two men again, mentally reminding himself to keep a civil tongue. "So, you guys sell dirt?" Sips wasn't paying attention, and had started to draw a picture on the ground with the tip of his sword. However, Sjin hadn't taken his eyes off of the spaceman. Xephos could feel Sjin's appraising gaze, and took the opportunity to measure up the man. He could hear Honeydew slam the cabin door and start throwing things around inside. Xephos could tell several things about Sjin immediately. First, he was well versed in fighting. His sword was well polished, seemingly very sharp, and his stance was ready to leap into action at a single word. That led to the next thing; his apparent loyalty to the pale man, Sips.

Xephos could vaguely recall Martyn mentioning chasing off Sips with arrows. The woodsmen hadn't said anything about Sjin, so Xephos guessed that Sjin was a relatively new employee of Sips's. Still Sjin kept glancing at the absent-minded Sips for orders. Xephos had known people like him in the federation. They would eagerly serve one person, doing anything to gain the slightest bit of favor. They wouldn't hesitate to completely sabotage someone, as long as their superior asked them to. Xephos couldn't stand those people. The spaceman observed all of this in a few seconds.

Sips looked up from the swirls he had carved into the ground and answered Xephos's question. "Oh, yeah. There is just absolutely huge demand for dirt. Dirt for houses, beds and Christmas presents. You can get it all at Sipsco!" He threw his sword into the air, and Sjin had to leap out of its path down. Sips didn't strike Xephos as the most stable or sensible person, and the spaceman definitely wanted to stay on the good side of the businessman, lest the sword fall towards him. "Right, well I didn't know that deeds were sold for land out here, or I definitely would have looked into that…" he trailed off. Sjin was still studying him, and Sips was absorbed in his drawing again. The tip of his sword had broken off when he had thrown it, and was sticking out of the ground. Xephos shook his head and turned to face the cabin. Honeydew left the cabin, hauling a sack filled with stuff. It bulged awkwardly, and seemed to be heavy. He was still flushed with anger, but he seemed to have it more under control.

"Au revoir!" Sjin said in an overly cheerful tone, giving them a dainty wave. His smugness irritated Xephos, and it took more than a little self control to turn away. He picked up the bag by his feet and slung it over his shoulder, where it draped comfortably over the jetpack he still carried. Though it was heavy, it was manageable. Honeydew joined him in stormy silence. They made a sad sight as they left the clearing.

They walked for a good distance, until Honeydew finally stopped. "So, what are we doing now?" he asked glumly. It was a good question. What were they to do? Their home had been destroyed, and all of their worldly possessions could be carried on a few bags on their backs.

Xephos sighed and stared past Honeydew for a moment. "I say we go and say goodbye to Martyn, Toby, Kaeyi, and Lalna. We could leave for that town that everyone keeps mentioning- Mistral City. We start anew, and maybe keep an eye out for Rythian." The dwarf nodded, and then suddenly remembered the glint of metal he had seen in the pack. "Xephos, Let me see your bag for a second." The dwarf said. The spaceman slid it off of his shoulder, and Honeydew began to rummage through it. He slowly pulled out the object that had caused the glint.

It was a gun, and the meter on the side said that it was full of the special energy. The two looked at each other with raised eyebrows. There was a note taped on the barrel of the gun. It read-

_Dear Honeydew and Xephos,_

_It is important that you have this gun in case Rythian gets to you. Don't worry, I have another. Remember that the shot has to be precise. Don't come back to the lab. I'm fine here, and I need some time to get some research done. I assume that you two have returned back to your house, but I know that you were considering leaving for Mistral city. I think that you should go, because remaining around here will start to become boring for you. Xephos, I know you wanted to meet more people, and see all of Minecraftia, so this would be a good time for you to start. You must be careful, not just of Rythian, but also of common thieves and criminals. The jet packs should still have enough fuel to get you a few miles on your way to the city. Just keep on the trail east, and you should be fine. Keep in touch with me if you are able, and stay safe _

_-Lalna_

Xephos looked up from the note. "I think the choice has been made for us." He said at last. Honeydew grinned. "I actually want to go now. Surely we could take the jetpacks east from here, and find the trail without an issue." Xephos nodded, and tightened the straps on his pack. "Let's go then." Without further ado, they both fired up the jetpacks, and flew up into the bright noon sky.

Back by the spaceman's and dwarf's former house, Sips and Sjin were talking. "I didn't know you had a deed for this place." Sjin said. Sips laughed. "I don't! Those jokers didn't even check it. I drew it in crayon." He pulled out the paper for Sjin's inspection. He looked at the letters, written elegantly and indeed in crayon. He grinned. "Nice one, Sips. I'm going to organize our stuff a little bit, and then go and mine for some diamond. There was this cool machine I used in my old job called a quarry, but we need diamonds to build it. It will help us get ores faster." Sips nodded."I'm going to uh, do something."

Sjin went into the cabin, and Sips started to think about what to do. His wondering was interrupted by a dismayed cry from the house. Sjin raced out. "Sips! A lot of the stock from the basement is missing, and our beds have been dismantled!" Sips sighed. "Neither of us watched the dwarf get their stuff." Sjin looked both scared of Sips and disappointed in himself. "I'm sorry sir! I should have kept an eye-" Sips cut his employee off. "Stop. It's fine. I wasn't exactly watching either." Sjin was baffled. Sips was being _forgiving? _It was better not to question it.

Just then, two specks flew high above them. Sjin heard a faint yell of "See ya later, Shitlords!" Both Sips and Sjin looked up to see who had said it. It was impossible to mistake that flash of red beard. Neither of them got a chance to respond, because they found that all of the dirt Honeydew had smuggled from the cabin was falling through the air directly into their faces.

**End of Chapter 21 **


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 22**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! I now have internet at my house! It is a happy, happy day! Now uploads will be more regular, and also on Saturdays, more than likely. You may notice some changes in the story, mainly in my spacing and grammar. The reason for this is that I exchanged PMs with a certain Author who despises any Fanfiction to do with YouTubers. It's his opinion, and he did give some good reasons for why he felt that way, though personally I feel that my story (as well as many others on here that I have read) doesn't really fit into his reasons. Long story short, he did look at a few chapters of this story, probably the earlier ones that I keep meaning to rewrite anyway, and he mentioned several grammatical things that I did wrong, such as making a new paragraph for each time a new character speaks. I was grateful for the advice, but I'm way too lazy to fix past chapters right yet. However, future chapters will be fixed. If you've got anything at all to say about the story, I would love to hear it. Leave me a review, please! Anything that will improve your reading experience, let me know. If you hate the story, let me know. If you love it, let me know and give a comprehensive list as to why. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and have a wonderful day! –Mage) _

The sun was high in the sky, and even underneath the trees Rythian was sweating. It had only been half of a day since he had met Nilesy and Lomadia, but they had made good time, (nearly eight miles in only four hours) considering the fact that their packs were heavy, and the terrain was far from flat. They had also stopped by the village and bought several weeks of provisions. The three were currently picking their way down a steep hill. A narrow river threaded the valley far below them. Nilesy was yammering on about the pros of using marble as pool flooring. At first, Rythian had been interested in Nilesy's occupation as the owner of a pool shop, but now he knew more about swimming pools than he ever wanted too. Brother was actually snoring.

Nilesy had fallen quiet for a spell, and Lomadia was talking about their home at a place she called "Owl Island". Rythian was concentrating on keeping his balance on the hill, but Lomadia's voice was nice to listen to. After a while she asked Rythian-"What about you? Where are you from? Have you met anyone interesting on your travels?"

He took a while to answer, acting like the rocks were slippery to buy a few moments to fabricate a story. Brother was still snoring, and was no help at all. "I'm from far west of here." He began. The trail began to even out, but there was still quite a drop to his left. "I lived in a great desert, but I wanted to explore the world. When I was old enough, my parents let me go and follow my dreams, and I have been traveling for several years now. I really want to go and see Mistral City. I might even live there. I've heard amazing things about it."

Lomadia nodded. "Yeah, it's okay. I grew up there, and I liked the city, but I love the woods more. I can have my owls here, but in the city, people are scared of them."

Rythian raised his eyebrows, "Why?"

Lomadia shrugged "I don't really know. I guess they're just to wild for the normal people there."

Nilesy announced that he was tired and needed a break. Rythian had expected this as the entrepreneur had expended most of his breath talking about pools, so the three decided to stop for lunch, seeing as it was about noon anyways. About a half mile away, someone else was hiking their way down the mountain. Rythian was the only one who noticed, but it didn't seem to be anyone who would be looking for him, so he didn't think much of it. Nilesy offered him a small loaf of bread, and he gratefully accepted. The three were settled slightly off of the trail, away from the drop, but not the stunning view that it created. The group made small talk for a few moments until the stranger came into view. She had made a quick pace down the mountain. Again, no one really took notice besides Rythian. He couldn't seem to take his eyes away from the stranger for more than a few moments.

"Hey Rythian, you said where you were from, but have you met anyone interesting on this trail?" Lomadia asked. Rythian kept glancing at the stranger as he answered. "I've met the Scientist, as you know." He managed to keep the loathing tone from his voice "I've met a nice group of woods people, and I've met a man named Xephos and his friend Honeydew, who is a dwarf."

Lomadia lit up when he said the Spaceman's name. "You've met Xephos? That's cool. I've met him before."

Nilesy nudged her with his elbow "You've definitely got a thing for him." He said.

Lomadia blushed. "No I don't!" she argued, though the redness in her cheeks contradicted her.

Nilesy smirked and said "Yeah, you do." The two continued their banter; over what Rythian guessed was an often discussed subject. He tuned them out, and discreetly watched the stranger. She was only about ten yards away, and the sunlight sparkled off of her bright red hair. She paid no mind to the resting group, and was walking quickly, very focused, staring straight ahead.

She was just passing Rythian when her foot got trapped in a root, and she began to lose her balance, dangerously close to the edge of the drop. Rythian knew what was going to happen a few moments before it did, somehow. He leapt up, and raced the few feet over to her, before the other two even noticed that the girl was in trouble. The stranger did little to stop herself from toppling over the drop, and Rythian barely managed to grab her hand. He pulled her up, using strength he didn't know he possessed. Nilesy and Lomadia had hurried over when they realized what had happened. The girl's eyes were closed, as though she had been knocked unconscious, but she hadn't hit her head. They darted about beneath her eyelids as she murmured feverishly.

Suddenly her restless eyes fluttered open. "And that's why brown is evil!" she concluded, finishing a rousing speech that no one else had heard. Her eyes narrowed. "Uh, who are you?" she asked of the three people hovering over her. "And why am I laying on the ground?"

Rythian had been knocked speechless when she opened her eyes, not really knowing why, but now he found his voice. "I'm Rythian. You uh, fell over the cliff there, and I pulled you up. This is Nilesy and Lomadia. I'm traveling with them."

The girl sat up. "Thanks for saving me. I was talking to the mushrooms. Sometimes I get a little distracted when I do that." She beamed at the other two. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Zoeya." Rythian smiled back at her, slightly worried, and rose to his feet. He gave her a hand up as well. "Where are you heading to?" He asked.

Zoeya brushed dirt off of her pants "I don't know. I go where the mushrooms tell me. It's wonderful!"

Rythian didn't understand how the mushrooms could talk to her, but he couldn't exactly question it. After all, he did have an entire extra person in his head. "Right, well we're all heading to Mistral City. It's a good month's journey from here." Zoeya nodded distractedly. Suddenly, she spoke up. "Could I go with you guys? The mushrooms say it's a good idea."

Rythian felt the need to please this girl that he had just met. "That would be great!" he exclaimed. Lomadia and Nilesy were also quick with their acceptance. It was always better to have a larger traveling party because mobs would be easier to fight off and less work could be done by one person, while still getting the job done. Rythian kept getting distracted by the vivid red of the girl's hair. He offhandedly decided that it was his favorite color.

Just as the now-larger group was getting ready to go again, Nilesy suddenly noticed that the canteens of water were all nearly empty. "We really should get some water before we get going again. There's the river down there, but it's pretty far off."

Rythian listened around him. Besides the faint rushing of the river, he could hear the trickle of a brook much closer. For some reason, the sound made him nervous, but he volunteered for the job anyway. "I can go find some water quickly, and fill these up" He offered, gesturing at the pile of canteens Nilesy had put on the ground. He struggled to pick them all up, and one or two fell just when he thought he had them. Nilesy laughed, not in a mean way, but not exactly offering assistance either.

"Here, I'll help." Zoeya said. She grabbed the ones he kept dropping. They each also grabbed their own packs to carry the filled canteens in. The two then left, disappearing into the thick trees on their search for water.

Just after they had gone, Lomadia noticed something in the sky. A faint, high pitched sound quickly gained in volume, and Nilesy (who stood beside her also watching the sky) realized that the objects were steadily getting bigger. He scratched his head. "What is that?" he asked.

Lomadia's eyes widened. "Get off the trail!" She yelled, diving off of it herself. Nilesy was quick to follow suit, and the sound they heard became a scream.

"Ahhhhh!" Xephos and Honeydew howled in a twin duet of panic. Simultaneously, their packs had shuddered to a halt, a hundred feet above land. They began to hurtle towards the ground. Xephos yelled over the rushing wind. "Turn back on your pack!" Honeydew could hardly hear him despite being only a few feet away, the wind viciously whipping the words away. Still, he started to mash the button that turned the burners on. They fell together, directly onto the trail they had been following aerially. When they were only ten feet above the hard ground, the packs roared to life, sputtering and hissing. It was just enough to break their fall, so rather than smashing on the ground, they just went sprawling. "Oh my god!" someone exclaimed from the right of them. Xephos opened his eyes.

To his great surprise, Lomadia and Nilesy, (whom he had met once before) stared at himself and Honeydew, who was huddled in a ball on the ground, trembling like mad. "Did you just fall out of the sky?" Lomadia asked, unbelieving.

Xephos took a deep breath and cast his jetpack to the ground. It was smoking, and some of the metal was half melted. "I think so." He replied, looking at his friend, who was wailing something about heights. He offered Lomadia a wide-eyed smile. "I think Honeydew is still a bit shook up." His own hands trembled, but he didn't want Lomadia to notice, so he stuffed them into his pockets.

Lomadia sat down by her pack, gesturing that Xephos do the same. Nilesy tried to console the Dwarf, whose hysterical sobs quickly dried into the occasional hiccup. The four shared their travel plans, and upon discovering they were headed to the same place, Nilesy made the Spaceman and the dwarf the same deal he had given Rythian and Zoeya- to travel together. Lomadia mentioned the others they were traveling with, but not by name. Honeydew was glad for the extra company, and was surprised to hear that there were more people traveling with Lomadia and Nilesy.

"How is Lalna doing? You mentioned that you had stopped by the lab" Lomadia asked.

Xephos took a deep breath. "He's not so great actually. There was a breakout from his lab, a specimen by the name of Rythian. Lalna is worried, because according to him, Rythian is dangerous and really unstable."

Nilesy was interested. "Well, Rythian must be a pretty common name, because that's one of the travelers that joined us today. It must be a desert name."

Xephos was visibly worried, and his voice was hesitant as he picked his words carefully. "I…I don't think it's a common name Nilesy. How did you know he was from the desert?"

Lomadia answered for him. "Well, he said so. Also, he wore a mask, much like the ones that other desert-dwellers wear."

Xephos bit the inside of his lip as he pulled out the gun from his bag. He laid it on his lap. "I could be mistaken, but I'll feel safer if I have this out."

Rythian watched from the edge of the trees a few meters away as the spaceman told them about Lalna. Zoeya was by his side, and confusedly asked in a whisper, "How are you dangerous?"

Rythian sighed "I did some bad things." His eyes flickered, but Zoeya didn't notice. "I don't regr- I mean I **_do_** regret them." He closed his wavering eyes. "I have to leave now. I don't want the spaceman to kill me or bring me back." He put most of the canteens down, keeping just one. Very quietly, he pulled most of the food that they had bought that morning out of his bag and left it with the canteens. "You can go back." He spoke without looking at Zoeya.

She was quick with her reply. "Don't be an idiot. I'm coming with you. If people are looking for you, you need help avoiding them. You saved my life, but the other two wouldn't have even noticed. Besides, you don't look dangerous."

Rythian's jaw clenched and an uncertain light came about his eyes. "It's all in the eye of the beholder." he replied, his tone vaguely bitter.

As a last thought, he scribbled a note on a piece of paper he found in one of the pockets of the pack. He knew how to write, part of the memories that he had always had, but had never practiced. He was less than satisfied with the neatness of his writing.

Zoeya put down the empty pack she carried, and after swiftly putting the unnecessary canteens and food in it, he placed the note on top. Then he picked up his own bag and walked deeper in the woods, away from the trail but still heading east. He could feel Zoeya behind him, ghosting his footsteps. When they were a good ways from the others, they got back on the proper path. As the sun began to set, they were already several miles from Lomadia and the rest of the group. Their shadows were long in the light of dusk, much like the limbs of the dark spirits that stalked them.

**End of chapter 22**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 23 **

_(Author's Note- Hey guys. I guess now I can truly say that you have been with me through thick and thin. It's been a bad past few days for me, one of the only bright sides being the reviews that all of you guys suddenly started to leave at once. See, my Stepfather passed a few days ago, and we were pretty close. I haven't fallen apart, but my mom and my sister really have, and when I got stressed out trying to keep things running at home, I would just take a few minutes and check my story or read someone else's. All of you who read this or leave reviews mean so much to me. Thank you so, so much. Enjoy this early chapter and have a wonderful day._

**_Guest- Thanks, I love Plastic Pandas!_**

**_Jazzy- I'm glad you like it that much_**

**_Spiritedandloyal- Good luck with your story, and thank you for being so supportive of my story_**

**_12boy- Thanks for appreciating the humor! I'm not that funny IRL, I promise.)_**

Xephos squinted at the setting sun, standing near the cliff. Several hours had passed since he and Honeydew had fallen out of the sky. Lomadia had told him that Rythian had left with the new girl to fetch some water. Nilesy had mentioned that they should have returned a while ago. As more time passed, a sense of unease filled the spaceman. He could have misjudged the masked man he met in Martyn's clearing. Perhaps he really was dangerous. He eyed the gun, which he had left on the ground near the other's packs. With a sigh, he walked over to it and sat on the ground, gently picking up the weapon and drumming his fingers on the barrel. Lomadia and Nilesy sat about a meter and a half away, playing some sort of card game and talking quietly. The dwarf was pacing back and forth along the trail, muttering into his beard. Xephos began to suspect that Honeydew was a little overwhelmed with everything. Had the spacemen not experienced similarly frightening things in his time with the Federation, he would be too. Xephos shook his head, annoyed with himself. That life was behind him, so he had to stop thinking of it.

Suddenly Honeydew's voice rang out, interrupting the spaceman's thoughts "Xephos! Everyone! What's this?" Everyone got up at once, walking quickly to the dwarf who was only about five meters away. He pointed out a bag in the underbrush. It was nearly hidden from view by a combination of foliage and the dim lighting.

Nilesy knelt and pulled it onto the trail. "It's one of the bags they carried." He said, glancing it over.

"But where's the other one?" Lomadia asked. "This looks like the one Zoeya had. Where's Rythian's?"

Xephos noticed a torn piece of paper tangled in the scrub. He carefully extracted it from the brambles and unfolded it. In a clumsy, unlearned scrawl, a simple message proclaimed-

**I'm leaving with Zoeya, goodbye and thanks for the help. I won't be taken back. Never. If we cross paths again, let it be as comrades and not enemies. We must not let mutual "friends" control us. –Rythian.**

Xephos's mouth went dry as he read the note. He noted the quotations around the word 'friends' and knew immediately who it meant. Rythian still held a grudge against Lalna, and that made him infinitely more dangerous. Rythian also knew now that the spaceman and the dwarf were keeping an eye out for him. He would be much harder to approach, and who knew how far away he was now? Even more alarming was the girl, Zoeya. If Xephos or anyone else confronted the escaped specimen, she might fight for him.

Xephos wasn't certain exactly where he stood on the situation. On one hand, it was wrong to imprison thinking, living people, but on the other hand, if the state of the lab and Lalna were anything to go by, Rythian was truly unstable and dangerous. He had to be stopped before he hurt anyone else. But Zoeya… she added a whole new dimension to this problem. If she fought for Rythian, Xephos would have no choice but to fight her. But the Spaceman's loyalty and friendship with Lalna could only stretch so far. Zoeya wasn't guilty of anything but running off with a stranger, pehaps unknowing of the danger, and Xephos didn't want innocent blood on his hands. As much as Xephos had been trying to forget his time among the stars, one message from that earlier part of his life remained emblazed on the forefront of his mind- _Do no harm to innocents of any sort. _ It was an unspoken rule of the Federation.

The other three had been looking through the contents of the bag whilst Xephos read the letter and thought to himself. Honeydew looked up "What have you got?" he inquired. Nilesy and Lomadia stared at the letter Xephos held. With a sigh the Spaceman read it aloud, and then handed it to Lomadia. "That's bad." Honeydew whispered.

Lomadia seemed indifferent, only worried about Lalna's safety. "Rythian seemed harmless enough." She explained.

Nilesy was somewhat defensive of Rythian. "He really didn't take much. Just a canteen, his own bag, and some food. He could have taken a lot more. Probably just spooked when he saw you guys. No need to chase him down. Besides, he listened to me talk about my pools. Even Lomadia gets tired after a bit." Lomadia laughed.

Xephos was irritated, but couldn't bring himself to scold them for not taking it seriously. Especially not Lomadia. For some reason his stomach tied itself in twisting knots when she laughed. He just growled under his breath as he looked at his hands for a moment, the others looking over the note or repacking the bag. When he looked up, his annoyance was well under control. "Well, do you reckon I could send a letter to Lalna anyway, just to let him know that we know where he is? Lalna is really terrified that Rythian is going to attack him. It'll be a relief to know he's heading away."

Lomadia looked up at the sky. "I would definitely let you, but Mr. Owl is already on his way there. Actually, he should be there by now. I sent a letter to apologize for not stopping by. I mentioned Rythian, but not by name. He said that he had already met Lalna, but didn't think that Lalna would remember him." She giggled. "I suppose that was a lie" Xephos knew that the situation was grave, but couldn't help laughing along with her. Honeydew and Nilesy exchanged a knowing look, and the sun disappeared behind the hill.

Lalna was intently staring at a few bits of translucent wire connected to a small generator when the scraping against his window jostled him from his train of thought. His hand flew down to his hip as he quickly straightened, nearly hitting his head against a lamp. He was alarmed to find that the gun wasn't in its holster as it should have been. His hands flew over his desk, mussing papers and sending small electronic gadgets flying as he scrambled to find it. His hands found the cool metal, comforting in his hands. Some part of him, the sensible part, said that Rythian wouldn't bother scraping at his window, but the irrational part screamed danger. His slightly trembling fingers found the gun's trigger as he cautiously crept towards the window. It was dark out, and Lalna couldn't see a thing outside the window. The inky blackness absorbed any light that was cast out of the windowpane.

Lalna's paranoia was far less since the others had come to see him, but every sound still gave him a start. The scraping started again, and this time Lalna saw what caused it. Long, sharp talons raked down the glass, letting off a high pitched screech. This would have frightened an ordinary person, but Lalna knew exactly what it was. It was with a relieved sigh he put down the gun, the metal now growing uncomfortably hot. He had noticed that, more and more frequently. Anytime he was near the altered Essence, it would grow very warm, and once an accidental spill had burned through one of his rubber gloves leaving an odd pink burn that still hadn't healed, though it stopped hurting a few moments after it occurred.

Lalna opened the window, and Mr. Owl fluttered in, landing somewhat less than gracefully on the desk. A small tube was attached to his leg, a letter from Lomadia and Nilesy. He rarely got messages from them, as Lomadia was rather close to her owl, and disliked sending him away. The scientist reached for the letter, but to his surprise, Mr. Owl puffed up and snapped at his hand. The bird had never done that before, and Lalna had known him for years. Lalna stared at the tiny cut on his hand as the dark purplish blood, so like Rythian's, welled up. A quick green spark took care of the slice.

The scientist had to bribe the owl with a bit of steak before he could get the letter. Mr. Owl settled a few feet away with his treat, staring distrustfully at Lalna, who was reading the parchment. Lomadia had written it- he could tell by the neatness of the writing. It seemed as though she had been in the area and had forgotten to stop by. Lalna smiled darkly, thinking about his metal state a few days ago. Had Xephos and Honeydew not shown up, he would still be huddled in a corner, frightened for his life. Now though still scared, he was at least somewhat productive. He continued reading, and one part in particular caught his attention-

_Anyway Lalna, as I was saying, we found a man in the woods and he has decided to travel with us, east to Mistral city. He was already heading that way, but he seemed pretty clueless, sleeping out in the open. He's pretty lucky that he avoided the zombies. For that matter, I haven't seen many other mobs for a while, since around two O'clock yesterday, I think. Well, I have seen some of those odd Endermen, but you don't have an issue with them if you don't look at them. It's nice and shady here, so I'm not surprised I've seen a lot of them. The new guy that we're traveling with said that he met you at some point, but that he doubted that you would remember him. I can't describe him all that well, because I only saw his face for a moment before he put on his mask. Mr. Owl was kind of skittish around him which surprised me, because he's generally ok with new people..._

The letter continued on, mostly imploring him to write back and say how he was doing. He didn't really absorb any of it, the earlier section still bouncing around his mind. He couldn't help a tiny worry niggling at the back of his skull. A traveler heading towards Mistral city, who wore a mask, and an unusually large amount of Endermen in the area; Everything pointed towards the mysterious man being Rythian. Lalna tried to reason with himself. The man could have been anyone, the mask and Endermen a coincidence. Still, the doubt wouldn't go away. He started to write a letter back, telling Lomadia and Nilesy both to be wary of strangers on the trails, and of a criminal in the area who fit the description they had given. It was easier than telling the truth. He didn't notice the owl edge nervously away from him, and eventually take off into the opaque night without the letter.

When he did look up and notice the bird's absence, he was annoyed and mystified. The owl was nervous of the man Lomadia had met, and now he was afraid of Lalna. Either Mr. Owl had suddenly become grouchy, or he didn't like something he sensed in both of them. This is what Lalna pondered as he closed the window and set back to tinkering with the wires.

**End of Chapter 23**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 24**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! I just realized that I forgot to upload after getting home from school. It is now four-thirty on a Saturday morning. I have the vaguest feeling that I will get nothing of value done today. Anyways here is the next chapter. Let me know what you think. I've been messing with my writing style a bit, and I need to know if it's working, so some feedback is important. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and that you have a wonderful day!_

**_Spiritedandloyal- Thanks! I do try. Those Xephos memories might be showing up more *oooooh Spoilers!*_**

**_Anonymus- Nope. Go fish. But seriously, I understand why YouTuber fanfic might not be someone's cup of tea. I'm just relieved that none of them have flamed in the reviews or yelled at me or something.)_**

Rythian and Zoeya paused their walking when they had gone around five miles from the others. With any luck, the party they had left would not resume traveling until the next morning. Right now, a crescent moon hung high overhead. It was beautiful, but it didn't cast all that much light and as a result it was a very dense night. Rythian carefully put his bag down, and sat next to it. Zoeya did the same. "Who are you really?" She asked "I mean, I get that you're on the run and that some guy named Lalna is hunting you down, but why?"

Rythian unbuckled his scabbard before closing his pale eyes. "It's not the most pleasant story." He said, opening them again.

Zoeya wasn't swayed in her questioning, "What did you do? I have to know how much of a danger you are." As she spoke, she noticed that his eyes glowed, a dim light. She probably wouldn't have even noticed it had the moon been brighter. Rythian stared past Zoeya for a moment, before he met her gaze. He opened his mouth to say something, when a sudden blow flung him forward. Zoey whipped her head sound in shock, looking for the source. The air shimmered for a moment, and then was still.

Rythian growled as he stood up, rubbing the back of his head. He reached out a hand to help Zoeya up and asked, "Do you hear them?"

Zoeya took his hand and listened closely. She could hear a faint rattling in the air, a sort of high pitched whine. Rythian seemed to hear much more, because the face uncovered by his mask turned unusually pale. He still held Zoeya's hand, but dropped it as he turned around, scrutinizing the darkness. He took a few steps forward, and turned his head suddenly. "You have to go Zoeya." His voice was quick and urgent. He kept his tone under control though, and that scared Zoeya more. It was like he was trying to keep something from noticing them. He raised his voice, though he kept the flat tone "Go Zoeya! NOW!"

She held her ground, instead stooping draw an iron sword from the scabbard that Rythian had put next to his bag. "What are we fighting?" she asked, her tone not serious at all. No hint of fear cloaked her voice.

Rythian shook for a moment, though he had turned again so Zoeya couldn't see his eyes darken. "Endermen." He growled. To Zoeya's amazement Rythian started to glow, a dark aura of purplish mist surrounding him. Dark flames surrounded his hands. He turned completely to face Zoeya, and a bestial spark gleamed in his dark eyes. "I know you're there!" He shouted, not at her, but at the invisible threat. "Stop hiding!"

Despite her shock at everything that was happening, Zoeya rushed behind Rythian, and stood back to back with him. "Zoeya." He said one last time. "This is your last chance. Go! I can't keep you safe from them!"

A strange rushing sound filled the air, and Zoeya could feel some sort of presence drawing near. "No!" she shouted over the noise. "I won't leave you! A friend helps a friend!"

Rythian craned his neck to look at her. "You consider me a friend?" He asked in a bewildered voice.

The sound grew louder and Rythian could barely hear as Zoeya replied, "Of course! Now watch out!"

While Rythian had been looking at Zoeya, an Enderman had appeared right in front of him. Zoeya swung the blade she held, and Rythian barely ducked in time to avoid it. Though she was unskilled with a sword, she definitely felt contact just before the Enderman hissed and vanished. She looked around, seeking the slim black form that would surely be back now that it was injured. She glanced at Rythian. His eyes were wide, the dark iris swimming in a sea of white. An ember of flame danced around each of his hands. She found the motion mesmerizing. A gust of air past her ear shook her from her reverie. The embers that circled Rythian's hands turned into a blazing inferno, which he shot at the distortion in the air. The air all around turned uncomfortably hot, though Rythian seemed not to notice. The charred body of the Enderman fell to the ground, and it turned into smoke. Despite the lack of wind the smoke quickly drifted away.

Rythian could hear the voices, and they hadn't gotten any fainter with the death of one. "**_Kill the imposter. Kill the girl too. She is dangerous." _**The voices melded together, the thoughts synchronized. Like one organism hell-bent on destroying him. Though the voice was so complex and multileveled, he was sure that there was only two or three more Endermen nearby.

"Are you sure you can't hear them?" he asked Zoeya, keeping his eyes peeled.

"What? Hear the Enderman? No I can't." she replied as she adjusted her grip on the sword. Rythian scowled beneath his mask. He wished that the Endermen would stop watching them from the darkness and attack already. Being watched made him nervous. It reminded him of the lab.

Then, a great roaring sensation seemed to break through Rythian's skull with its intensity. Brother cringed, feeling it even more, as it was a form a mental wave. Zoeya was unaffected, and looked at Rythian with worry. He fell to his knees. Some ancient Voice spoke, with great malice. The power of the Voice was so terrible that he couldn't fully absorb the words it spoke, only the gist of what it meant. It hated him, with some sort of ungodly passion and It would stop at nothing to completely abolish him. It called off the Endermen that prowled the shadows, and removed Its presence from Rythian's mind. Just when he felt it safe to stand, a different force took him. It was the familiar shooting pain this time, almost a comfort compared to the horrible All-Powerful Voice. He grasped the locket with shaking hands, as he tried to smile feebly at Zoeya. It became more of a grimace. Her confused and concerned expression, framed by her lovely red hair was the last thing he saw before he lost consciousness.

Zoeya stared at the prostrate Rythian, uncertain what had just happened. They had fought off the Enderman. It seemed like he could hear them to some degree, and she wondered if it was anything like how she could hear the mushrooms. It must be scary. Mushrooms hardly ever tried to kill you. Rythian snored quietly, and she decided to set up a camp. She looked at the bag which was somehow unaffected by the battle. She hoped Rythian would be alright. The way he had shaken before he passed out had been quite alarming. He snorted again, and Zoeya figured that he was fine. She went through the bag, but couldn't find a tent. Who didn't bring a tent on a long trip like this one? She definitely wanted to hear his story, but he had gone and passed out. She continued to rummage through the bag. They would have to be sure to get an actual tent of some sort in the next village they stopped in.

Zoeya eventually settled on draping a spare blanket over a few low hanging tree branches. It wouldn't do much about mobs, but would at least keep the rain off. Now was the problem of getting Rythian under it. She walked over to him, and noticed how peaceful his face- well his eyes- was when he slept. Suddenly, she was filled with curiosity about the mask. She was like that. She wouldn't care at all about something, and then would abruptly have to know everything about it. He was sleeping anyway, so what would be the harm if she took a peek?

Very carefully she knelt beside Rythian. She gently pulled the mask partially down, and his eyelids fluttered. She froze, even pausing her breathing. He snored again, and she pulled the mask the rest of the way down. She was shocked by what she saw. Great scars formed a strange and horrific pattern on his face. The depths of the scars were tinged with purple, and some part of her mind idly wondered if it was the color of his blood. Rythian's eyes started to open, and she swiftly pulled the mask back up. It was weird, but even though the scars were terrible, she liked them better than the mask.

Rythian sat up, holding his head. "I'm sorry about that." He muttered, turning his pale eyes to Zoeya. "That happens every so often. I just pass out." Zoeya was quick to assure him that it was fine, that the Endermen had gone. "I guess we can talk, but maybe in the morning; it's pretty late." An owl hooted as if to emphasize his point.

Zoey let out a pent out breath, realizing that Rythian didn't know she had taken off his mask. "Yeah, Tomorrow'll be fine. You should definitely rest after using magic like that. I set up a ten-"

Rythian interrupted her. "Wait, you know what magic is?"

She looked at him oddly. "Uh, yeah. Of course. I mean, not a lot of people can use it, and I've never seen someone shoot flames, but people enchant tools and stuff." Rythian nodded, furrowing his brow. Zoeya continued, "Anyway, I put up a tent of sorts over there, so we can sleep without getting rained on."

Rythian stood up clumsily. "Thanks Zoeya." He said as he settled on a second blanket that she had spread under the first. He rolled over on his side, and using his bag as a pillow, quickly drifted off again. Zoey had found a flint and steel in the bag, so she started a small fire to discourage any mobs that might visit in the night. Rythian was fast asleep when she finally lay down on the blanket next to him. He faced away from her, and she turned to face opposite him, a few inches separating the two. She fell asleep, the crackling of the fire and Rythian's rhythmic breaths a calming lullaby in her ears.

She slept comfortably through the night.

**End of Chapter 24**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 25**

_(Hey guys! I'm sorry for the very late upload. I had to travel for my Step-Father's service, and wasn't really in any shape to try doing anything like this. Besides that, there was no internet. Anywhere. Anyway, I wasn't totally satisfied with this, but Y'all need a chapter, and I think it's about as good as it'll get. I was wondering what you all would think of me rewriting the first fifteen or so chapters now that I actually know how to write (at least somewhat) If like, three or four of you say that you would like that and would re-read them, I'll do it. It might take a month or so, but I'd upload them all at once, and you'll get the normal chapters as well, no breaks. Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter, and have a wonderful day!_

**_Jazzy-Thanks for your enthusiasm!_**

**_Spiritedandloyal- Awesome, yeah thanks for the feedback. This is an ongoing project for me, so letting me know how you like it is a big help _****_J_****_)_**

Just after discovering the note left by Rythian it became clear to Lomadia that it was too late to travel now, and the rest of the group was far too excited and disorganized to cover any substantial distance. She looked up from her task of redistributing the supplies to survey the others.

Honeydew and Nilesy were too far away to hear, but seemed to be in friendly conversation. The dwarf mimed swinging a pick, and Nilesy nodded appreciatively.

Closer to her sat Xephos. He was staring intently at the ground, eyebrows furrowed in confusion or anger, Lomadia wasn't sure which. In one of his hands he held the note left by Rythian. He kept crumpling it unconsciously as he clenched his fists.

Lomadia stood up and called to the others, and within a few moments, they all stood together in a sort of huddle. She proposed setting up camp for the night. Xephos nodded faintly as she spoke, leading her to believe that he had been thinking the same thing. The others were also open to the idea.

"Sure," Honeydew agreed, peering over the nearby cliff that Zoeya had nearly plummeted over. "But let's get a fair bit away from the drop." He leant away from the descent reflexively, his plunge from the skies still fresh in his mind.

Xephos had been casually avoiding the cliff as well. Nilesy glanced over the edge, paled slightly and quickly agreed with the dwarf.

"We'll camp on the other side, obviously." Lomadia snickered. It seemed as though they could be quite dense.

Xephos looked around anxiously, his jaw taut "What if Rythian comes back? What if he decides it would be better to silence us? He definitely doesn't want Lalna knowing where he is. If he thinks we're going to Lalna, there's no telling what he might do."

Lomadia stared at him for a moment, and then rolled her eyes. "I really don't think he's coming for us. He was so quiet about leaving; I'm pretty sure he just wants to get out of here."

While she spoke, Nilesy started rummaging through the neat piles Lomadia had sorted and pulled out a small green tent, stuffed in a tiny sack.

"Am I setting this tent up or not?" He asked the Spaceman and Lomadia.

Xephos looked at Lomadia, who nodded as she answered, "Sure Nilesy, lets camp here for tonight, and get an early start tomorrow. If they're still heading towards Mistral City we can try to catch up to them. We might be able to convince Rythian that we won't go to Lalna, and get a few straight answers. There are always two sides to every story. Xephos told us Lalna's, and I trust him; he's my friend. But I still want to see where Rythian is coming from."

Nilesy nodded and walked away from her, Honeydew close behind. He started to eagerly tell the dwarf all about the next model, which he hadn't brought. Apparently it came with an inflatable pool. The fact that Honeydew didn't care was very apparent by the expression on his face, but Nilesy seemed not to notice. He and the dwarf began to set up the tent, and doing a bad job of it too, as every time they put the last stake in the ground the entire thing would collapse.

Xephos started to kindle a fire, and Lomadia helped by gathering some dry branches. She kept gazing up into the sky, keeping an eye out for her owl. She also spoke to Xephos, wanting to know more about Rythian. The spaceman had only brushed over the basics to inform them of the danger he posed. He had barely covered the fact that Rythian had Enderman DNA, and hadn't mentioned the powers or regeneration at all.

Xephos tried to tactfully avoid her questions, not wanting to portray Lalna as immoral or weak, and more importantly, doing his best not to frighten her. He couldn't help the fluttery feeling in his stomach every time she looked at him, or when their fingers accidently touched when she handed him a log. He couldn't bear to be the cause of her fears. He knew she was probably tougher than to be scared of shadows, but he felt the need to protect her anyway.

Lomadia, of course, knew exactly why he wouldn't tell, and it was starting to annoy her.

Xephos finally got the fire up to a cheerful blaze. He sat down near the warmth, an unseasonal evening chill raising gooseflesh on his arms. Lomadia sat next to him, not quite touching, but still quite close. Despite the cold, Xephos began to sweat. Honeydew and Nilesy still made quite a commotion trying to set up the tent, yelling and laughing, but he could barely hear them. Even the merry crackle of the fire sounded distant. All he could hear clearly was his heart beating.

"So," Lomadia said, her voice low. "Why can't you tell me about Rythian? I know you've been dodging my questions. I just want to know so I can make my own judgment. I trust you, but-"

Xephos sighed. "I know what you mean. I just don't know how much Lalna would want me to tell you. It's uh, pretty scary stuff…" He scowled as he realized how senseless his reason seemed.

Lomadia let out a short barking laugh. "I have no problem with scary, believe me. Scary is Nilesy in the morning. If you've got a legitimate reason to not tell me, fine. But otherwise, I want to know why I should be so afraid of Rythian. Obviously Lalna is, or he wouldn't have sent you with a gun to kill him."

Xephos frowned. "Lalna didn't send us to kill him. He only gave us the gun to protect ourselves. Ordinary weapons wouldn't be effective." He realized what he revealed a moment too late.

"And why wouldn't they be effective?" Lomadia said, leaning in closer. Had Xephos still worn his spacesuit, the blush in his cheeks would have matched it.

"Uh, Well, See they um-" He stammered.

Lomadia seemed to notice suddenly just how close they were; she was practically draped over him. She quickly backed away, and Xephos quietly breathed a sigh of both regret and relief. She chuckled quietly and said, "I'm sorry-"

Xephos cut her off, saying, "No, no it's fine. By all means…" he stopped abruptly, realizing how his words could be taken. The blush had begun to fade from his cheeks, but swiftly returned with a vengeance. Lomadia laughed, both at the absurdity of the situation and the awkwardness. Xephos joined her, mostly not knowing how else to react.

Honeydew and Nilesy had managed to prop up the tent, with a combination of luck and some Notch-given miracle. After finishing the tent, they discreetly watched Xephos and Lalna from a distance as the other two sat by the fire.

The dwarf and the pool-boy were mostly out of sight behind a few trees, but they could hear what the spaceman and Lomadia were saying perfectly. Nilesy nudged Honeydew, "They've really got a thing for each other. You see it too, right?"

Honeydew stared at the other two for a moment, just as Lomadia backed away from Xephos, stammering her apology. The dwarf nodded, "Yeah, but they'll never admit it, not for awhile anyway. Xephos doesn't really like to face his own feelings. I haven't known him very long, but that's one of his most prominent features. I can't speak for Lomadia, but if she's anything like him, she would view having romantic feelings for someone else as a weakness."

Nilesy looked away from the others to stare at Honeydew, surprised to hear such wisdom from a dwarf of all things. "I suppose it would be something like that." He responded slowly. "I would never have thought of it that way."

Honeydew smirked at the expression on Nilesy's face. "Xephos taught me how to read. I was barely literate before I met him. The only books he salvaged from his pod were psychology texts and a few romance novels. I'm pretty sure I can dissect any relationship now."

Nilesy laughed quietly, a grin flitting across his face. "Love stories, huh? Our spaceman's a romantic, then?"

Honeydew looked torn between a desire to laugh along with Nilesy, or to playfully shove him over. He settled on doing both. "I'm pretty sure his heart is made of rock. We should join them by the fire before they realize we're spying on them." Indeed, Lomadia and Xephos had fallen silent, waiting for the others to join them. The scent of frying pork filled the air.

Nilesy bounced up from the forest ground and brushed the clinging twigs from his pants. "Alright." He said good-naturedly, not bothered by being pushed over at all. "It looks like dinner is ready anyway." The two joined their companions at the fire for a peaceful meal. The light kept any malicious creatures of the night away, and the four stayed up long past midnight sharing stories and jokes. When they did eventually retire, it was under the stars, not the tent that Honeydew and Nilesy had so painstakingly set up.

_They rose at dawn, well rested though they hadn't slept long. They continued traveling at a good pace, though for every step they took, they fell more and more behind Rythian and Zoeya. It wasn't any fault of their own; a party of four was simply slower than a party of two. Still, though their voyage was longer, the four were not continually beset upon by the mysterious beings of the End. _

_On the other hand, the smaller party found that every night more followed them. Still, they persevered, and were never badly hindered by the Endermen. Eventually, three months later, Rythian and Zoeya found themselves at the magnificent gates of a shining city._

**End of Chapter 25**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 26**

_(Authors Note- Hey guys! Some extensive editing happened over the last part of the story, mostly me taking a massive part out. I had written about five chapters of their times on the trail, occasionally cutting to Lalna in the lab. However, reading back on it I realized it seemed more like filler than actual storytelling. My five chapters were barely scratching the surface of every trivial thing that would have happened on the trail. Don't worry anything *important* will be mentioned and explained in the story. The chapters I had were mostly boring and repetitive. How many times can you really write about awkward conversations or Enderman attacks? So that's why the whole "Three months later" thing happened. Don't worry. It doesn't really take anything from the story._

_Ok, I also had something else to talk about. Most of you should know who Kaeyi is, not just a character in my story, but also an amazing YouTuber and the girlfriend of Martyn Littlewood. Currently, she is in a hospital, as she has been for the past few days. Her condition is worsening, and she says that she feels helpless and scared, as well as in a lot of pain. Her doctor doesn't yet know what is causing her illness, but it is likely that her Fibromyalgia is making it more severe. I'm sorry if you hadn't heard this news yet and I just dropped it on you like that. If you find yourself near twitter, or any other site that she has an account on, it would be awesome of you to give her a few supporting words. I know that I've been really worried about her, as a devout fan. Thanks guys, and have a wonderful day!_

**_Spiritedandloyal- 'Fish harmonica noises of fangirling'- Made my day. Also_********_EVERYONE Look at this she deserves some credit!_********_\- I would like to give a super special thanks to this amazing author for suggesting so long ago in my Author-infancy some characters that finally make an appearance… ;)_**

Two weary travelers were let through the impressive gates to Mistral City. One was male, one female, and they gave their names to be Rythian and Zoeya. The gatekeeper quickly wrote down the simple information and admitted the two visitors to the city. He didn't take much personal interest in them, just following the protocols of his job. He was too worried about keeping his lover waiting to especially care about the male's strange attire and darting light purple eyes. It was common enough to see people in such odd clothes in the city, and it wasn't part of his job anyway.

Zoey walked a few steps ahead of Rythian, her eyes alight. "It's amazing." She breathed, turning to the mage.

He walked silently, a skill he had mastered in the woods. "I am glad we have made it to the city at last, Zoeya. And yes, it is beautiful."

Zoeya skipped ahead, taking in every sight she could. The sprawling city around them was remarkable enough, but it was nothing compared to the Metropolis above. Huge walkways spanned the entire sky they could see, periodically interrupted by a floating castle or tower. She didn't seem to notice that Rythian's compliment was directed at her, not the architecture around. A faint strain of music drifted over the building tops.

Around them, people streamed down the wide clean boulevards, on their way to work or one of the various parks scattered throughout the city. Rythian had grabbed a small map on his way through the guard station, and it showed the shape of the city to be a large circle, set with main streets radiating from the center like the spokes of a wheel. In the very center of the wheel was a smaller circle, with a label that read 'Skylord's Plaza'. That's where the bulk of the people seemed to be heading.

Rythian and Zoeya allowed themselves to be swept along with the tide of people. Brother spoke to Rythian, _"We fit in quite well here. Already I've seen a few others wearing masks. I doubt anyone will notice one other masked man among the multitudes." _

Rythian scanned the crowd, which had started to pan out into a rough circle watching some act on a stage in the central plaza. Indeed there were a few others wearing masks, as well as dwarfs, elves, and every other ethnic species imaginable. Rythian saw a pair of luminescent eyes glaring at him from an alleyway, and shivered, not wanting to envision what sort of creature they belonged to. It seemed as though Mistral city was the crossroads of the world. Rythian was a little surprised at Brother directly speaking to him. They had begun to communicate with emotions rather than actual words. It wasn't really a thing either of them had noticed, it was just more efficient. The control switches had also become far easier, to the point where Rythian could blink and his eyes would darken, control fully relinquished. It only became difficult when they were seized by the panics of irrational anger or fear, and one of those hadn't happened in two months. Being around Zoeya had really calmed his nerves and his fears of the scientist and his past.

Rythian noticed with a start that the jostling of the crowd had pushed him nearly to the stage, and worse, that he had been separated from Zoeya. He was taller than a good deal of the people, and looked over their heads for Zoeya, but he didn't see her for a moment. He felt a surging rise of panic, which he forced down after his gaze landed on her vibrant red hair. She was only about four meters away. He saw with amusement that she was fully absorbed by the music. She swayed back and forth to the beat, unaware of the vanishing crowd around her. People were filing out of the plaza as the last guitar note faded from the air. The people around were quietly discussing the concert, and Rythian caught snatches of words as they passed. 'It's been forever since they performed here.' … 'I'll never forget my first concert of theirs'.

The voices faded away, and the plaza was nearly empty besides Rythian and Zoeya. She smiled dreamily. "Can you believe it?" she asked. "Area 11! I can't believe that they were here just as we arrived!"

Rythian furrowed his eyebrows with puzzlement. "Area who?" Zoeya pointed at a somewhat torn black banner hanging from the stage. It had the name of the band in bold white. No other decoration adorned it. The plaza was now completely empty, besides Rythian, Zoeya, a few people on the stage putting instruments away, and a smiling copper haired man who was quickly striding towards them. He held a short stick, painted with black symbols.

"Hello there!" He exclaimed when only a few feet away. "I'm Sparkles, lead singer of Area 11. And you are…" His expression was friendly and slightly bemused.

Zoeya's eyes had widened when he said his name "I'm Zoeya. I saw one of your concerts when I was younger. You probably don't remember… Mushbury?"

Sparkles face broke into a wide grin. "Yeah, that was on our first tour. Dark place in the woods, lots of fungus everywhere?" Zoeya nodded with a huge smile on her face.

Sparkles turned to the tall stranger wearing a mask. "And what is your name?"

The mage shifted uncomfortably "Rythian."

Sparkles nodded, facing the both of them again "Right, well the reason I asked is because when we perform here, everyone leaves as soon as we're finished, because of an old urban legend. It's nonsense of course-"

"What's the story?" Zoeya interrupted. Sparkles sighed. "Apparently, if people stay around after a concert held in Skylord Plaza, the last of the lingerers to leave is doomed to die first. Now no one will stick around past the last note. You two obviously hadn't heard of the legend. Which is fine, believe me. It's just a story, not true at all."

Rythian nodded. "Yes, we just arrived today, so we couldn't have heard of it. If I may ask, what is that stick you carry?" It had absorbed his attention, the strange symbols drawing him in…

"Oh, this?" The singer turned the stick over in his hands carelessly, revealing more of the symbols. "This is just an ordinary stick I picked up in the woods. With these symbols, it magnifies my voice." He held it up to his mouth and begun to speak again, but now his voice was much louder. "Parv is pretty good at setting these up. Not everyone can write the symbols."

At the sound of his name, one of the figures on the stage waved and leapt down from the platform, than began to trot towards them.

He reached them a moment later, and Rythian noticed two surprising things as they exchanged formalities. Firstly, the new-comer wore a cape, much like Rythian's own. Secondly, his hands glowed with a grayish energy, not bright or powerful like Rythian's own, but still there. Parv smirked when he saw Rythian staring at his hands. "Yeah, I'm a mage, friend, and you're one too."

Sparkles chuckled at Rythian's shock. "Parv can see auras. Though his casting lacks power, he can always tell if someone can control magic." Parv rolled his eyes then took a deep bow that was obviously sarcastic. Then, his eyes widened. "What do you mean my casting lacks power? Just because I only use symbols doesn't mean I can't use a staff or something. Symbols are just easier for me." Parv's voice had started to get defensive.

"But you can't bare-hand cast." Sparkles retorted, smirking and raising an eyebrow. Parv growled low in his throat. "No one can Sparkles! That's the whole thing. Mages have gotten progressively weaker over the course of the last few centuries. None of us today can compare to the early mages. I've told you a million times!"

As Parv spoke, Zoeya shot Rythian a look. He quickly shook his head.

Parv turned to Rythian and Zoeya again. "Right, so you are a mage, as I'm sure you know based on your clothes and your eye contacts. Specially designed to enhance your powers, right?"

The mage blinked. "Yeah, uh, contacts. Specially designed, of course" was his weak reply.

Parv looked at Zoeya, and his eyes widened slightly. "You said your name was Zoeya?" She nodded, and Parv continued to speak. "You have a very faint aura, almost like you haven't had it your whole life. It clings to you strongly, but it isn't native to you. You must have been exposed to some very strong magic, the type that hasn't been seen in this dimension for centuries…" His voice trailed off as he stared at Rythian. His eyes grew huge.

Rythian smiled uneasily, though it only showed as a slight ripple in his mask. "We really ought to be going. See you around." He turned with a flourish, his cape caught in the wind. He didn't want to be questioned by Parv, though he seemed friendly enough. He had come to Mistral city to leave his past behind. He didn't want this other mage to dig it back up. He strode out of the plaza, Zoeya rushing a half step ahead. She wanted to see more of the city, already forgetting the band they had just left behind. She babbled excitedly as she scanned over a city pamphlet that had come with the map. Rythian couldn't hear her words, too preoccupied with worrying about the mage he had left behind in the plaza…

The mage who might know too much.

**End of Chapter 26**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 27**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! Somewhat early upload, as I am leaving for a five day canoeing trip in like ten minutes and I completely forgot to upload. So here's this :) I don't have much to say, or much time to say it, but just know how glad I am that all of you read this. I would love to hear what you think, so make sure to leave a review or something. Also, Kaeyi was out of the hospital for one day and had to go back, so please go and give her some love. It will mean a lot to her, I swear :) I really have to go, so have a wonderful day, all!)_

"This is not Mistral City…" Lomadia stared at the fields surrounding them. A nearby cow lowed and stared balefully at them. Across the fields was a ramshackle farm house, seemingly held up by prayers more than tangible wood and nails. A few chickens were pecking around the door, though they were mere specks from the distance. Honeydew had plopped down on the long grass, and was eating a sandwich. Nilesy was plucking bits of the grass and ripping them to shreds.

Xephos stood next to Lomadia, also gazing out over the pasture. "Did we take a wrong turn somewhere?" he asked.

Lomadia sighed. "I guess so. We should probably find out where we are. I'm sorry, I really thought I could find my way back, but it had been so long since I lived there…" The despair in her voice alarmed Xephos.

"No, no it's fine." He rushed to assure her. "We'll figure out where we are, and we'll get back on track. It'll all work out."

Nilesy looked up from the grass he was mangling. "This place looks alright. Peaceful if a bit…run-down." He shot the derelict house a glance.

Lomadia started to walk towards the farmhouse beckoning to the others. "Come on everyone. Let's go introduce ourselves." Everyone quickly grabbed their respective bags and hurried after her. Mr. Owl flew above her, spiraling down to land on one of the only trees in the field. He hooted quietly, and Lomadia glanced up at him. She smiled, as she hadn't seen him in a week. She had sent him with a letter to Lalna. The scientist had managed to send a letter back eventually despite the owl's apprehension of him. They had kept in contact since but each letter took longer to arrive, thanks to the growing distance between them. This time the owl had a small roll of paper tied to its leg. He drifted silently down to Lomadia and landed on her shoulder. He combed through her hair gently with his beak and stretched out his leg so she could un-tie the message. He cooed in her ear as she unrolled the parchment. The others had stopped around her, and she quickly scanned through the letter before reading it aloud.

_Hello everyone,_

_I am glad that you all have not encountered many problems on your journey. Things here at the lab have been calm, verging on boring. I have gotten lots of research done, and I am confident that should anyone attack the lab, (specifically a certain escaped specimen) I will have no issue defending myself. Each passing day makes me more certain he will not return. Still, I remain wary and alert. If he appears in the area I will have no issue handling him. My condition seems to have finally leveled out in its severity, and if I rest often I don't have much of an issue. I am beginning to become more used to my new limitations, and my recent breakthroughs allow me to get more done despite my reduced abilities. I have started to look into a revolutionary new technology, one that you, Xephos, have mentioned to me once before. The use of force fields would greatly increase my defenses, and I have nearly mastered a simple prototype. It is a largely scaled up and beefed up version of the simple emitter I made the night before you and Honeydew left my lab for the first time…_

Most of the rest of the letter detailed the science involved, and Xephos was thoroughly impressed with Lalna's deductions. Once all of the components had been assembled, it would be nearly as efficient as one of the more minor shields one Xephos's old spaceship. One last note at the end of the letter raised a few eyebrows.

_I have noticed several buildings where Xephos and Honeydew's house used to be. One of your past letters said how you had been forced off of your land, and it seems that some form of complex is taking shape there. The buildings have gotten closer and closer to the edge of the wood-people's forest, and I worry that some sort of conflict will arise from that. Other than that small issue, all is peaceful around here. With hope that you are doing as well as I. _

_-Lalna_

Lomadia carefully folded the letter and put it in her pack. Mr. Owl took off from her shoulder, and circled high over head a few times, before landing noiselessly on the tree once more. He closed his yellow eyes and puffed up into a ball of feathers, nestling his head to his chest. The four others continued on their way to the farmhouse, talking quietly about the letter. Anytime they got news from the scientist, it was a big deal. All of them, with the exception of Nilesy, knew Lalna well. They were all interested in his well-being.

Soon, they had arrived at the farmhouse. Up close it wasn't as run down as they had thought. Rather, it seemed to be built to look that way, with parts of the sagging ceiling actually securely held up by ornate, but nearly invisible columns. A wide wraparound porch was painted with a faded blue paint that was chipped and entirely missing in places. Honeydew made his way up the creaky wooden stairs and rapped on the door. After a moment, it opened, to reveal a middle-aged, balding man, dressed in a simple leather tunic and trousers. He looked at the strangers suspiciously, putting a glass bottle he held down on a table that was out of their sight, just behind the door frame. The open doorway allowed a sweet scent to escape into the cool outside air. "Hello there" he said, his voice cracked and old beyond his apparent age. "Who are you four?"

Xephos, Lomadia and Nilesy quickly stepped up to stand behind the dwarf. Xephos spoke up, introducing himself and the others as, "Lost and weary travelers, seeking mistral city. If you would sir, could you please tell us where we are?"

The man sullenly glared at them through sunken eyes before pushing past them and speaking. "I am called Old Peculiar. If you will follow me, I will explain where you are." He hobbled down the porch steps and walked around the edge of the house.

The view from the other side of the house revealed a small village; really just a cluster of houses and a single free standing building that was obviously a church. The old man waved his hand across the rather average view, no different than many villages the group had seen on their travels, and grandly said "Welcome to Terrorvale."

Lomadia and Nilesy shared a glance "Terrorvale… I think that's somewhere south of Mistral city" Lomadia said, thinking carefully. "I've never been here before. It looks like a nice little place." Nilesy agreed, nodding.

Honeydew frowned "This means that we're still no closer to Mistral city." Xephos thanked the man, Old Peculiar, and turned to his dwarven friend. He caught a faint whiff of that sweet scent again (recognizing it as raspberries) in the air, and an idea struck him.

"Still, this is a scenic little hamlet. Perhaps we could stay for a few days, all of us, and continue on our way after that. It would be a welcome break from the woods."

"That does sound like a good idea." Lomadia said. The other two were quickly convinced as well, and before the hour was through they had left the man on the hill and were well on their way to the rest of the village.

As the sun set, they entered the village tavern, which was comfortable and clean. It was run by a rather pretty woman by the name of Daisy, who doubled as the village's blacksmith. It was the first time they had slept in real beds for three months.

...

Many miles away, back in Lalna's lab, the scientist put on his newly improved goggles. Over the past few months, he had worked over-time to research anything that might give him the slightest upper hand over Rythian. Besides the force field emitters that he had built he had also implemented several other defensive measures. Improved security cameras and sensors covered every inch of the lab as well as the surrounding area. Anything larger than a chicken would be documented and the computers would determine whether it was dangerous or not. If any human or humanlike life signatures were found, the information would be sent directly to Lalna, and a popup would appear on one of his goggle lenses.

He had added a few other improvements to his goggles, since he always wore them. These improvements involved greatly improved glass that wouldn't shatter under any amount of pressure. He also was testing various settings that would allow him to see better in the dark or in different spectrums. The most those had done as of yet was give him a headache, but he kept testing, in the hopes that something would give him a definite offensive advantage over the escaped Specimen.

He had all of these precautions, but every night, he still had nightmares of those inescapable eyes pinning him to the walls. He could feel in excruciating detail as the mage slowly ripped him apart. When he awoke in a cold sweat, he usually had tears in his eyes and a few times, bloody rents down his face, the painful result of clawing at himself while asleep. The powers, both a gift and a curse, could fix them and end the pain. Still, the memories and the blood remained.

**End of Chapter 27**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 28**

_(Author's Note-Hey guys! I hope that you've been enjoying this story. I thought i might tell you that I've started to write another story concerning the Yogscast, that takes place in a more real-life setting (NO! What do you mean minecraft isn't real-life?!) Anyway, leave your thoughts as to the chapter below, if you would like too. ore importantly, enjoy the chapter, and have a wonderful day!)_

After a few hours of aimlessly walking around the city, Zoeya and Rythian found themselves sitting in a park, mostly empty of any others. Rythian was distractedly staring at a single spark that he had summoned. The tiny point of light energetically raced around Rythian's hand, darting between his fingers and tracing the lines of his palm. He sighed and closed his hand, extinguishing the spark. "What is going to happen to us, Zoeya?"

She looked up, the late afternoon sun glinting in her eyes. Rythian was sitting on a bench, and she on the ground, so she had to squint to look at him. The wrinkles around her eyes just endeared her more to Rythian. "What do you mean?" She asked

He looked at his fingers for a moment. He had picked up a stone from the ground without realizing it, and he tossed it gently from hand to hand, lost in thought. Eventually he responded, "Well, we traveled the trail for months together. We finally arrived here at the city, so what are we doing now? I mean, we got to be good, uh, friends. Right?"

Zoeya bit her lip. This was difficult. On one hand, she wanted to stay with the mage. She wanted to unravel more of his secrets, as he had never ended up telling her all of his past, only parts, and even those only by accident. All she really knew was that he was running from Lalna because Rythian had hurt him, and feared the revenge that Lalna might take. Zoeya had no clue that Rythian had been created by the scientist. The mage didn't want her to know, because he was afraid that she would be scared of him for not being fully human. He would rather anyone saw him as a freak but her.

On the other hand, he wanted to stay in the city, and she felt an urge to keep traveling. Something told her that she was not meant to stay in the city, as large and exciting as it was.

She looked at the mage, who stared back earnestly. Rythian had fallen for the red haired, occasionally empty-headed girl less than a week after meeting her. It was a case of love at first sight, but he refused to admit it, even to himself. Zoeya was too distracted by the wonders of everyday life to even notice the mage's attention for her. Her own love for Rythian was slower coming, and of the more friendly, less passionate sort. Given more time it might mature into romance, but now she had to decide if she would leave the mage behind forever, or if she would stay with him.

"I think," Zoeya said. "That I will leave." Rythian's breath stopped as he felt something inside of him start to die. Zoeya continued to talk. "At least, after a while, but I will stay in the city for a few weeks, maybe a few months. I want to see everything I can of the city before I go."

Whatever was dying in Rythian's chest slowly revived, and he took a relieved breath. "I am glad you will stay a while because, Zoeya, I-" His mouth suddenly froze, without reason. He internally cursed his bashfulness. Zoeya looked at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence. He coughed and said. "I would miss you." His voice had strange tone to it, but Zoeya didn't notice.

"I'm going to miss you too. Don't worry, when I do leave, I'm sure we can find some way to keep in touch."

He smiled; trying to hide the despair he could feel rising inside. "Yeah, keeping in touch. That would be good." His dread of the upcoming separation gave him pains that felt so real, like his insides were being torn apart. Though he instinctively clutched the amulet that Kaeyi had given him, it did nothing.

Zoeya suddenly pointed at the sky. "Look at the sun! We have to find some inn for the night. We can look for actual places to stay tomorrow." Rythian nodded, and got up from the bench. Zoeya raced ahead, full of energy as she always was, already out of the park and halfway down the street.

"Why don't you find the inn, and I'll find a shop and buy a few things?" He called to her.

"Ok, the map says there's one just down here, so that's where I'll be!" was her response, and she skipped around the corner and out of sight.

Rythian turned and walked the other way. Even though it was early evening, the foot traffic wasn't diminished so he kept a wary eye out for cutpurses. He didn't wear a pouch like the richer people of this town did, but he did have a substantial amount of coin on him, earned from various odd jobs in villages along the trail. The last thing he needed was some pickpocket snatching it from under his nose.

He escaped an especially dense knot of people, and after ascertaining that he still had all of his currency, looked around at his surroundings. Grandiose shops lined the edges of the clean street. Only a few people made their way down the road, and those that did all wore uniforms of a sort, with the same insignia on the clothing somewhere. Rythian couldn't see it very clearly, but it seemed to be some sort of bird with a swirling wind mark beneath its wings. At the end of the street was a translucent stairway, within a glass tower which never seemed to end. It went up and up and up until it met with the pathways that connected the floating towers together.

Everything about this part of the city was grand and polished, except for one brooding teen, who leant against one of the shop's walls. He was hunched over, concentrated on something he held. Rythian was only walking past the kid, when a strange buzzing shook his entire being. He turned with a start to the kid who he could tell was the source of the sensation. The teen looked up with the same perplexed expression that Rythian wore. Almost against his own will, Rythian turned and walked towards the sullen looking teen. Brother gently pressed for control, and Rythian relinquished it without any hesitation. He didn't lose a step as his eyes darkened.

The teen wore a dark, long sleeved tunic, and similarly dark pants. His tunic had a hood, which obscured most of his face. When Rythian stood in front of him, however, he cast it off. Rythian noticed that his skin was very pale, and his shaggy hair was white. The teen met Rythian's eyes squarely, and Rythian was startled to see that the kid's were a vivid red. The kid was equally surprised to see the dark purple of Rythian's. Rythian looked down at the kids hands, and saw that he held a ball of grayish mist, streaked through with jagged bolts that were the same hue of red as his eyes. The bolts didn't hold still, but kept bouncing around within the mist. Rythian remembered what the mage Parv had said about no one being able to bare-hand cast anymore, and raised his eyes back to the teen's.

"Who are you?" They both asked simultaneously.

The kid answered first. "I'm Israphel. I'm here in town because my father- he's a reverend- is meeting with some of his Skylord friends. I have no desire to sit through stuffy discussions, so I'm staying out here until we go back to the inn we're staying at. I live in a little town called Terrorvale." He still played with his little ball of mist, shaping it and rolling from hand to hand.

Rythian then answered. "I'm Rythian, from uh, west of here. I just got to Mistral city today, and I'm planning on staying for awhile." Silence fell for a moment, until Rythian spoke again. "Are you a mage? That's magic you're using, right?"

Israphel stared into the depths of the mist for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose so. The best I can really do is summoning a bit a fog to play with, but I guess it's magic. My father gets angry when he sees me. He says magic is the devil's work."

Rythian grinned sadly, though Israphel couldn't see it. "Yeah, we mages have it tough. A lot of people aren't very accepting of it." He thought of Lalna and his needles for a moment, and shivered.

Israphel caught him with a bright stare. "Are you a mage too?"

Rythian nodded. "Yeah…" A notion hit him suddenly. It didn't even seem like his own idea, but it was so obvious he asked anyway. "Hey, you said that all you can summon is the mist. Would you like to learn more?"

The kid flicked some hair out of his blood-red eyes. "Like what?" He inquired, again turning his intelligent eyes to Rythian's.

"Well, like this." Rythian quickly looked around to see if anyone else was watching. When he was sure no one was looking, he closed his eyes and focused on a particular talent he had picked up in the woods. He took the river of Energy that constantly flowed inside of him, and began to shape it. It took a lot of discipline, and sweat droplets soon broke out on his forehead. When he was satisfied with the shaped Energy, he gently began to push it away from himself. He had learned the hard way what would happen if he was too rough. Rather than forcing it from his hands like he typically wielded it, he forced it from his feet, pressing against the ground.

Before Israphel's eyes Rythian began to hover, at first only a few inches, but quickly gaining altitude to more than a foot. He floated, wavering slightly for a moment. Then Rythian let out a breath slowly, and over the course of it, drifted all the way to the ground. When he felt his feet touch the smooth paved stone of the road, his eyes flew open. "What do you think?" He asked the bewildered teen.

"Wow…" Israphel was breathless. "That is really cool. If you would teach me, that would be amazing. But I don't live here…" Rythian thought about it for a moment. "You said that you're here for a few weeks. Come meet me in the forest tomorrow, at around noon and I can start to teach you. We can set up some sort of schedule from there too-"

"You aren't going to murder me or something, are you?" Israphel interrupted.

Rythian's eyebrows rose quickly in schock. "Wha- no, no! of course not! I just want to teach you how to use your power. I don't know why, but I feel some sort of weird obligation. Did you hear some sort of weird buzzing when I first walked by?" Israphel nodded silently. Rythian continued speaking "Obviously I'm meant to do this."

Israphel nodded again, "Alright, I'll see you in the woods tomorrow then" the kid said, looking both exited and uncertain about the deal.

"That sounds good." Rythian said. He turned to leave, until something struck him. "Hey how old are you?" he asked Israphel.

The kid was already absorbed in his ball of mist again, but he glanced at Rythian. "16" the pale kid replied shortly, and looked away from the mage, back to his swirling cloud.

Rythian hurried away, back to the inn he was going to meet Zoeya at. On his way there, he bought an early autumn flower from a small florist shop. It was a rich orange-red with a center of purple, and it smelled heavenly. He gave it to Zoeya when he saw her, and she remarked about how she had these growing in the yard of her childhood home. She missed the romantic intent of the gift, but the fact that it still made her smile made Rythian happy nonetheless. The room was clean, and the sheets on the bed were crisp and new.

They both slept well that night.

**End of Chapter 28**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 29**

_(Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that I wrote more than I planned to this week, and so have something extra to upload for y'all. I mean, I hope that you like it. I also wanted to put out a special thanks to an author that goes by __**'The Zombie Thief' **__He hasn't gotten quite this far in the story yet, but has been pretty supportive and whatnot since he started reading it. He just started a new story called- 'The Elements of Minecraft' and it's pretty good. Check it out if you've got the time. I submitted a few OC's for it, so I hope you like it! I've been making a lot of effort to be more involved with other authors, so if you would be interested in doing a collab, want to brainstorm, or anything, shoot me a PM. I should get back to you within the day unless I'm out of town. Without further ado, enjoy the story, and have a wonderful day!)_

**_SpiritedandLoyal- Your review probably made my entire week. You really have to watch out for those feel boulders :)_**

**_(Also, I don't know why you can't put line brakes in the story with the Doc editor anymore uggggggggggggg…. The option just vanished somehow!)_**

Lalna awoke, and stared at the art that covered the walls of his room. Every time he saw them, he felt less like the person who had painted it. So much had changed since he had first traveled to this largely unexplored land and built his lab. He had almost died several times, and worse, the chip couldn't entirely guarantee his mortality. It had too many bugs in the coding, and it was too deeply embedded in his spinal cord to remove and replace with the fixed version. Also, if anyone was able to disable the chips, everyone on Minecraftia would be in the same circumstances they were in before advent of respawning. People would die permanently from simple mob attacks. The only one who wouldn't have a problem with the disabling of the chips would be Rythian. His healing could handle anything, except for the altered Power that Lalna had managed to create. He would be truly unstoppable.

Lalna got out of his bed. Sunlight was streaming through his window, the panes of which had been replaced with ultra-strong reinforced glass. It was the same glass that Lalna had replaced the lenses of his goggles with. It was quite expensive to make, but worth it. The scientist pulled on some everyday clothes, and his lab coat. He put on his holster and grabbed the gun from his bed stand. Nearly instantly it became unbearably hot, and Lalna dropped it with a curse, looking at his hands. Bright red marks crossed them, looking less like ordinary scars and more like abstract swirls. Green sparks encroached at the edges of the marks, and the pain stopped. The red of the marks paled to a dull pink, but didn't heal beyond that. A faint thread of the dark purple that his blood had become traced each of the scars.

Lalna closed and opened his hands a few times, sighing regretfully. His hands felt unchanged, and no stiffness bothered them. Still, it meant that the magic in his blood had grown yet more in strength, and that he wouldn't be able to carry the gun without special gloves of some sort. He glared at the bright colors of his room, which seemed to mock his misfortune. All they did was remind him of a happy past he could never have back. He stomped out of the room, mumbling angrily under his breath. He vowed to cover the paintings with the same dull grey that made up all the rest of the lab.

As an afterthought, he grabbed a towel and picked up the gun using the cloth as insulation. He jammed it into the holster. It would burn to hold and fire it, but it was better than getting ripped apart by Rythian. He left the room again, in aggravation accidently slamming the door behind him. The sound made him jump.

He went through most of his day as he usually did as of late, testing new prototypes, rebuilding flawed prototypes and checking the borders of the lab, making sure that the new defensive measures he had implemented were working properly. All of this was interrupted by periodic rests when the racking pains that would jolt through him grew too intense. In his letter, he had said that he was learning his new capabilities, and taking pains to stay within them. This was far from the truth. He still tried to do more than he logically could, given his condition. He would work until he collapsed.

Lalna was outside, leaning against one of the exterior walls of the lab. He coughed and wheezed, a cut on his cheek bone trickling blood slowly down his jaw. The sparks left it alone, as it had been caused by the powers themselves, but it soon stopped bleeding anyway. Eventually Lalna was able to breathe reliably, and he heaved a giant breath of sweet air. Suddenly, a window opened on his goggles. The image was much grainier than he would have liked, and he made a mental image to try and improve the resolution next time he tinkered with them. Still, he was able to make out most of what the window said. The sensors had picked up a human life signature on his land!

He hurried inside the lab, and grabbed his jetpack. Xephos and Honeydew had written of their aerial mishap, and Lalna had discovered that the problem was bad sealant separating the fuel tank from the burners. They were lucky they had survived the pack's failure. Lalna had fixed the problem with his own pack, and also increased the distance range. Now he could fly much further without refueling, which was good because only he had the facilities make the fuel.

As he began to strap into the pack, he noticed his new iron armor hanging on the wall. He couldn't take both the armor and the pack, because currently, the pack couldn't bear the weight of both user and armor together. Lalna's eyes flew to the armor and back to the pack, trying to decide what would be better in a potential fight. Since he really had to go quickly, he settled on the jetpack. He had to face whoever was intruding onto his property. He flew out of the lab through an automatic skylight, hand hovering mere millimeters from his gun, eyes scanning the ground below

Soon Lalna saw him, not Rythian, but someone who was still vaguely familiar. Circling clumsily a few times while toning down the burners, he half-fell, half-flew down to the ground. The scientist landed with a rather dramatic thump in front of the trespasser.

Lalna pushed the goggles to his hairline, glad that they had kept the dust out of his eyes, because the other person had not been as fortunate. The other coughed and waved his hands around his head. Lalna knew he had seen the intruder before. The guy was pretty young looking, with messy brown hair, mostly dark clothing with hints of dark forest green thrown in and, grey (currently irritated) eyes. The scientist studied him for a moment, before his name struck him. "Hey, you're Tony right? That kid from the woods, lives with Marvin?"

The kid looked at him, coughing one last time "Toby. And Martyn" He corrected. He looked around at the sky searching for something. "Where did you fall from?" He asked quizzically.

Lalna smiled "I didn't. I flew." He gave his pack a bit of thrust, and he shot up a few feet.

Toby's eyes widened. "Are you a Skylord or something? I thought you were just a scientist."

Lalna scoffed. "A Skylord? Notch, no. But I am a scientist, among a few other things." _ 'Like a coward and a failure.' _He thought, but quickly brushed it away. He continued speaking, his tone not friendly, but not entirely aggressive either. "Anyway, why are you here? You know who I am, and I know vaguely who you are. I'm kind of busy so-" He interrupted himself with a brief coughing fit. Toby waited until it subsided to speak.

"Well, I'm just worried about a few people. I'm aware that you know them well, and I was wondering if you had any idea what happened to them." He shivered, as winter was definitely on its way and it was getting to be pretty cold.

Lalna noticed the chill at the same moment. He had kept his hand close to his gun during all of the discussion, but moved it to rub his hands together. "Hey, how about we talk inside. It's freezing!"

Toby nodded. "That sounds good"

The two walked on the path together the short distance to the lab entrance. Toby kept staring at the sky, quietly marveling how wide it was without trees obstructing it. Only a few short bushes covered the ground. Any trees that had once grown here had been cut down. They got to the doors, and Lalna climbed the stairs, and quickly typed in several codes on wall pads. The electronic locks had replaced the many mechanical ones. The door swung open, and Toby followed Lalna down a few halls. The stopped in the same room that Honeydew and Xephos had spoken to the half-mad Lalna in, just after Rythian escaped.

"Do you want anything to drink?" The scientist asked.

Toby shook his head. "No, I'm fine, just listen. I'm really concerned about Xephos and Honeydew. They visited us in the woods a few months ago, saying they were on their way here. We all thought they had gone home afterwards, but Martyn, Kaeyi and I went to visit them, and there is this massive building where they said their _small _cabin was. This pale bloke 'Sips' came and shouted at us to get off of his property. We have no idea where Xephos or Honeydew is. No one else is concerned, but I know someone dangerous is out there. I don't want him to hurt them."

Lalna's brow furrowed. "Who's out there?" Toby's voice dropped to a whisper. "A guy called Rythian." Lalna's heart fluttered at the mention of the name, but he didn't interrupt as Toby kept speaking. "He came to us, with massive scars on his face and stuff. He got rid of an illness that plagued my tree; some little pests were eating it. Naturally I thought he was the One, a Legendary figure in the wood peoples history. I brought him to the others. Kaeyi made him some clothes, and he left in the night soon afterwards."

Now Lalna interrupted "Did he blow anything up?"

Toby looked at him strangely. "Uh, no. he snuck away. The thing is, Kaeyi helped him leave, and I'm pretty sure she knew he wasn't actually the One. She said something about mages, and he left. I think he was heading to Mistral city. I'm just worried about Xephos and Honeydew being out there with them. I mean, he healed my tree, but first he burned a big hole in it!"

Toby spoke so quickly that Lalna had a little trouble following what he was saying, but he could at least assure him that Xephos and Honeydew were doing fine. He told Toby so, following with "And I know that Rythian is dangerous. We uh, know each other quite well. That's why I have this gun. It's the only thing that can injure him, so far." He absently drummed his finger against the barrel, and snatched his hand away as it burned him. He cursed as another swirl formed on his finger tip.

"What's that about?" Toby asked.

Lalna glared at him, angered at having received yet another scar. "Nothing you need to worry about!" He snapped.

Toby rushed to apologize "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Really if you've got a condition or something it's none of my business."

Lalna sighed. "No, it's fine. I just get annoyed sometimes. The stuff in this gun burns anyone, to varying degrees. It has a strong effect on me, less so on others. It should have an even worse effect on Rythian."

One thing he had found in his research before he could no longer manipulate the altered Energy was that it was poison to any magic, not just Rythian's in particular. Any magical being that was injured by the altered Energy would be badly injured. It was just better for Rythian because his healing wouldn't cure it, while it would fix other conventional injuries. Lalna figured that most other magical beings wouldn't have such a strong healing ability.

Toby, glad that the scientist wasn't irritated with him, asked something else. "Hey, since you've got so much um, science, here-" Lalna smiled at his uncertain choice of words. "-well I was wondering if you could explain something odd that happened a few months ago?"

Lalna shrugged, settling more comfortably into his chair. "Sure, shoot."

Toby took a deep breath. "Well, I was really upset and nothing could make me happy. It felt like the world had turned away from me. I left a note, went out for a walk and well, I jumped off of a ledge. I intended to kill myself so my spirit could become one with my tree. It was really dumb in hindsight, things have gotten much better since then, and I am grateful that I failed. Still, there was no way I could have survived the impact, I should have succeeded in my ill efforts, and instead I awoke in my room when I should have died. Do you have any idea what could have happened? I'm just concerned. Was it just me? Will I ever be able to join my tree?"

Lalna immediately knew what had happened, but he didn't want anyone else to know, as if the news got spread around, someone could break into the lab and disable the immortality chips. His face set into a stony mask. "No, I don't have any idea what could have happened." He clenched his fists beneath the table. "Sorry"

**End of Chapter 29**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 30**

_(Author's Note- Wait… It's time to upload again already….?! I completely lost track of time, as I've had the flu or a cold or something and haven't really been able to do much the fast few days except sleeping, eating stale crackers and drinking Gatorade (Other beverages available). As a result, my editing may be slightly subpar on this one… don't hesitate to yell in the reviews, I'll go and fix it right away. This was actually a really interesting and fun chapter to write, so I hope that you'll enjoy it, and Y'all do me a favor… Have a wonderful day!)_

**_SpiritedandLoyal-NOOooo! Not the Jaffas lol. Time will tell when people's paths again do cross... Be patient, it's a small world ;)_**

Xephos and Lomadia sat outside of the tavern on a bench together. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but the pleasant quiet of two people that didn't have anything to talk about, and were just content in each other's presence. Eventually, though, Lomadia spoke up. "I heard that you and Honeydew might be staying here. Is that true?"

Xephos smiled at her. "Maybe. We haven't decided for sure yet, but it's looking likely. I mean, this place is only a week away from Mistral City, according to the townspeople. We could stay here and visit the city occasionally. It'll be like our old house, except no dirt investors muscling in. I've seen some of the world now. I'm perfectly happy to stop traveling for awhile."

Lomadia looked at him through her eyelashes. "I'll miss you." She murmured, slowly tracing the lines of her own hand. Xephos smiled, somewhat shyly, and held one of her fidgeting hands in his own.

"I'll miss you too" he whispered back.

She slid a few inches closer to him, and leaned her head on his shoulder. He awkwardly wrapped her arm around her, electricity coursing through his veins the way it always did when they were together. Their short moment of peace was abruptly shattered by Nilesy shouting from around the corner.

"Oi Lovebirds! Come help us with this luggage. It's heavy!" Lomadia giggled and stood from the bench. They heard a muffled thud followed by a coarse yell, presumably Nilesy falling down the stairs. Xephos joined her in laughing, and they both went to make sure he was ok.

Honeydew was already helping the pool-boy up. Nilesy glowered at them. "I heard you guys laughing."

Honeydew chuckled. "You _did_ look pretty funny."

Nilesy sighed, but dropped the grumpy look. "Alright." He said, clapping his hands together. "We have to get this stuff." He pointed to a pile of bags. "To that wagon." He gestured to a rickety carriage that they had rented for a ride the rest of the way to Mistral city. Apparently it was a regular taxi service, but upon actually seeing the vehicle, Xephos had his doubts. It looked older than him.

Honeydew shot Xephos a look. The spaceman glanced at Lomadia and nodded. "Actually, Nilesy" the dwarf said. "We'll make your job a bit easier. Xephos and I will be staying here in Terrorvale." Lomadia's eyes grew a bit misty, but she just blinked the tears away. Xephos noticed, but didn't say anything. He just took a step closer to her, but they still didn't quite touch. Nilesy and Honeydew called them 'Lovebirds' because of the way they acted, as well as Lomadia's passion for owls, but they had never actually said that they loved each other, just as neither had made a clear advance.. It was like a large canyon that neither of them was willing to jump.

Nilesy looked at the two of them and cleared his throat. "Right, well, we need to get _some_ of this stuff to that wagon" Everyone nodded, and got to work. No one spoke or joked around. Their upcoming separation was a weight dragging them down. They finished pretty quickly, the workload halved. They all ordered something from the innkeeper, and realized that they had been joined by Old Peculiar. He ordered a pint of ale, and sat at their table.

"Hello all" He greeted, sipping his drink. "Heard some of you were staying around here."

Xephos nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty nice around here. You know, farms and stuff." In truth, he didn't know why he wanted to stay so badly. He just felt in his gut it was the right thing to do.

Old Peculiar nodded. "Good choice." He observed simply, taking another swallow of ale. Lomadia excused herself and left the tavern. Xephos quickly followed her out.

She stood outside, in the dimming light. It was the point in the afternoon where it was definitely getting darker, but the sunset hadn't quite started. The light reflected off of her blue eyes, making them look larger than they were. She caught Xephos with her huge, innocent eyes, and he smiled, walking over to her. Her eyes gleamed, Xephos realized, with tears. The smile dropped off of his face. "What's wrong?" He asked.

She sniffed, and Xephos embraced her. The electric in his veins vied with the dread in his stomach.

"I don't want to leave you!" She sobbed into his chest. Mr. Owl cooed desolately from the edge of the roof, in tune with Lomadia's emotions. A gentle drizzle began to fall on the two. In the rain, with everything seeming so lonely and helpless, it seemed natural. Xephos slid back a few inches from Lomadia, and she looked at him with hurt confusion on her face, until he tangled his fingers in her long blond hair and lifted her face to his, closing his eyes.

When their lips touched, it felt so _right_, that Xephos wondered with exhilaration why he had been too nervous to do it before. Lomadia was shocked for a moment, but quickly thawed in his embrace. Thrilling sensations passed between the two of them, as Lomadia wrapped her arms around Xephos, and drew him closer. The rain mixed with her tears, both running down her face together. He ran one of his hands through her hair, and stroked her back. She drew backwards for a moment, opening her eyes. Xephos opened his as well.

"I love you Lomadia" He whispered.

She smiled, "I love you too"

This time, she drew Xephos to her.

* * *

Nilesy and Honeydew had left just behind the other two, but had stopped at the doorway. Honeydew's eyebrows were raised so high, they threatened to disappear into the bushy red hair that poked out from beneath his helmet. Nilesy's mouth gaped slightly. They watched their friends entwined together in the rain. The whole 'Lovebirds' thing was a joke, but this…

Nilesy voiced it perfectly, "I don't think you guys are staying here. That or we're all staying."

Honeydew took another glance at Xephos and Lomadia. "I need a bucket of cold water." He grumbled.

Nilesy brightened. "Really? I can get one-" He grasped the joke, then, and nodded slowly. "Heh. Right, I get it." The dwarf rolled his eyes and walked back into the tavern, Nilesy right behind. They nearly collided with Old Peculiar, who peeked out the door way at the couple in the rain.

Honeydew wasn't sure but he thought the old man said, "This complicates things."

* * *

A few minutes later, Xephos and Lomadia joined everyone in the tavern again. Lomadia held Xephos's hand. Honeydew and Nilesy exchanged a look, and Honeydew cleared his throat. "Uh, Xephos? Are we staying here in Terrorvale or are we leaving after all…?"

Xephos listened to the question, not entirely sure what the answer was. He still felt that odd urge in his gut to stay here, but now something else called him on, perhaps stronger than a gut urge. It was something he had only recently discovered, despite his penchant for romance novels. Now he knew the true power of love, and it was what he felt for Lomadia. He looked at Lomadia, whose hand he still held under the table. "I think that we're going with you." He responded finally. Both Nilesy and Lomadia beamed, as neither had really wanted to leave the other two in Terrorvale.

"Is that so?" a voice said from behind them. It was Old Peculiar, who had really been sticking around the others with no explanation. "The why don't you all stop by my place for a spot of tea before you go?" The idea seemed like a good one, and everyone quickly agreed

And so they found themselves sitting in a small but cozy living room, holding little saucers with equally tiny teacups. They looked very delicate for a man as rough as Old Peculiar to own. Everyone sipped their tea, besides Old Peculiar, who was crashing around in the other room. 'Getting some biscuits'. Xephos had heard some muffled curses, and possibly a cow's moo, but didn't feel inclined to investigate.

"Does it taste like raspberries to you?" Honeydew asked Xephos, who shook his head. It tasted like normal tea, a bit weak for his liking. Honeydew shrugged and downed the rest of the cup in one gulp. He was never one for manners.

Nilesy, Lomadia, and Xephos all finished their tea around the same time Old Peculiar finally showed up with a tin of stale cookies. Xephos looked at the old man, who tossed the tin down and growled, "Did I really just go through all of that for nothing?" Confused, Xephos asked, "Through what?"

Then, a muffled snore caught his attention. Turning back to look at his friends, he saw that they all were in some state of slumber. Honeydew was really out of it, his mouth hanging open, with tremendous snores erupting that seemed to rock the entire house. "He drank his tea rather fast, didn't he?" Xephos nodded, his eyes darting back and forth from his friends to the old man. "But we drank from the same teapot…"

Old Peculiar laughed. "That doesn't matter when it comes to me, silly!"

To Xephos's alarm, the old man's face seemed to melt, fusing into a new shape. His plain, boring clothes shimmered into a long grey coat with shimmering gold trim, tan pants, and brown boots with matching gold trim. His face went from old to young, hair growing from the mostly bald head, turning a lighter brown, and gaining a slight wave, and his eyes becoming sharp and mischievous. Xephos gasped and leapt back. "Wha-wha-what?"

The man floated a few feet into the air impressively, ruining the imposing image by bumping his head on the ceiling. "Ow." He lowered himself slightly, his toes skimming just above the carpet "I hate being inside ordinary houses." He muttered. He turned his attention to the shocked Spaceman. "C'mon, surely you recognize your old friend Ridgedog!"

Xephos looked at the man like he was insane. "No. I'm sure I'd remember." The floating guy, presumably Ridgedog, pursed his lips. "That's right" He said slowly, sounding like he savored the sound of every syllable. "I kind of made you forget. But anyway, I'm going to do the same thing here. Make you forget about that Owl Chick, so you can stay here and save the world!"

Xephos felt the heat of fury growing inside of him, both at the slight to Lomadia and at this stranger's presuming that he had any power over him. "Her name is Lomadia, and you won't be making me forget anything!"

He jumped up and took a swing at Ridgedog. The guy easily dodged Xephos's rage-driven fist, but he did hit his head on the ceiling again. He pointed his finger, and Xephos felt a slight pressure making him sit back down. It seemed more like a suggestion than a direct order, but it was an impulse he couldn't refuse, as though it was his idea to sit anyway. He glared at Ridgedog, who held up his hands, on guard.

"I have explanations. Wow. Do you get that defensive of every girl you have a fling with?"

Xephos forgot his anger for a second. "What do you mean?" He asked. Ridgedog smirked. "Do you remember Megan? You should have forgotten, that was one of the things I erased from your memory. You flung a rock at my head that time." Xephos shrugged now too confused to be properly angry. "I have no idea who Megan is."

Ridgedog's eyes narrowed and a smirk crossed his lips, really just an amplification of the seemingly permanent leer he wore. He laughed, and snapped his fingers. Xephos felt the strangest compulsion to sit quietly, with his hands still by his side, as though shackled.

"What are you making me do?" Xephos demanded. Whatever force that this stranger commanded was something that he had never known. A slow wave of nauseating fear, a primal terror of the unknown dilated through him. He felt the slow rise of it deep in his stomach, and he figured that this was what Lalna felt of _his_ unknown, the unkillable escaped specimen, Rythian.

Ridgedog answered Xephos's question. "I was pretty sure that you would resist me if I tried to change your memories before explaining myself. The others would be easy, but you resisted last time. If I tried to speak to you all at once, you might have started a little rebellion. I'm strong, but fighting four of you at once would be unnecessarily annoying. Speaking to you separately would stop that from happening. Besides, you're different, from space and everything. Your fate is very interesting. You should feel honored, I don't talk to ordinary people that often. You're fun to talk to. You've got spunk."

His response puzzled Xephos. "What? Last time? My fate is interesting? How can you see my fate?"

Ridgedog seemed stumped, trying to find a satisfactory answer. "Alright" the floating man said finally. "I'm going to give you back all of your memories, for a moment at least, for the sake of explanation. If you get angry about something, keep the noise down. Don't want to wake your friends."

He snapped his fingers again, and Xephos's head was filled with the past

_(You guys actually have no idea exactly how long I have been waiting to introduce Ridgedog… Also, Xephmadia… That's fun! Let me know what you think and such in the reviews, It a huge inspiration to keep writing! –Mage)_

**End of Chapter 30**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 31**

_(I know that last chapter may have been a bit abrupt. I apologize. I've had this separate short story that happened _before _this one, and I really wanted to introduce it here. I never uploaded it, but it was 3 chapters long, so I'm just making it one _**very**_ long one for this story. I felt like it would add a lot, so Xephos is having a little flashback, of sorts. Please note that this has Startrek references, but a basic knowledge of who the characters are should be enough. It's all I really had. Also, if you are a Trekkie, know that I am not. I probably got every minor detail wrong. I'm sorry, and please don't hate. Also, I'm sorry for missing an update. It's hell-week right now. For those of you who don't act on stage, it's basically the week were we have 12 hour rehearsals and finally the final (3) productions. I've been very busy sleeping and acting. I hope that the length of this chapter makes up for my tardiness. Enjoy the story and have a wonderful day ~Mage)_

_Xephos closed his eyes as the memories played through his head…_

It was looking to be a dull day. Commander William Riker, known to his friends as Xephos, lounged comfortably in his chair, reading a book titled 'Pictures of Summer'. It was a romance novel. He often got quite a bit of friendly flak from his shipmates for his preference for the love stories, but for some reason it never bothered him. He just liked them better than other types of books.

Captain Picard looked at a few monitors as Data pulled up a diagram to show him some sort of information or other. Their next destination was several light-years away, but the ship was having some technical difficulties with the Warp drive function. Currently, the engines refused to go above Warp three. Geordi LaForge was taking a look in the engine room, but it seemed likely that the problem would take a little while to fix. It wasn't any huge issue, because there was no real reason to hurry. The ship hadn't received any distress calls or any other type of signal in well over a week. It was a little unusual, but most of the crew chose to see it as a blessing rather than a problem. It was peaceful at last in space. That was what the Federation stood for, after all.

Xephos looked up from his book to just meet eyes with Lieutenant Commander Megan Vanin, who quickly looked away. She had joined the ship the last time that it had stopped at a space station. Xephos didn't know her well, but he had heard that she was brilliant, able to competently repair an engine, and just as easily strategize a battle or debug the system's computers. She was fairly young to be so skilled, only in her early or mid twenties by Xephos's judgment. She had mid length light brown hair, blemish-free, delicate, porcelain skin, and shocking blue eyes. Xephos gazed at her for a moment after she looked away. He had caught her staring at him a few times over the past few days. He off-handedly wondered if he should ask her for a drink after the captain dismissed him for the day. He absently started a conversation with her in his head, him being extremely charming, and her equally so. He couldn't help it- she _was _physically beautiful. What remained to be discovered was her personality. Xephos felt the warm blush of anticipation begin in his stomach. He often sought to find the spark of love that his books spoke of, but all of his previous attempts had led to nothing.

Suddenly Geordi ran onto the command deck, distracting Xephos from his book. The Chief Engineer looked shocked, and had any been able to see his eyes beneath his visor, they would have seen that they were wide with shock. Several equally panicked technicians tailed him. The captain immediately gave his full attention "What is it Geordi?" Picard asked.

Geordi wheezed for breath, as he has evidently sprinted the entire way to the command deck. "Hostile signal… Straight ahead…broke the engines, and they're trying to hack the computer." He panted.

"But our sensors have not picked up anything!" Lieutenant Worf protested.

"Change the scanning frequency. Whoever it was jammed it somehow. The alarms should have gone off…" Geordi's voice trailed off as he climbed the stairs to the place he usually stood at. He glared at the screens for a few moments, and then quickly typed something. Worf stood beside him, also typing. Xephos rose from his chair, his book falling, forgotten from his lap. He stared at the blank space projected on the large main screen. There certainly didn't seem to be an enemy ship straight ahead. Picard barked out orders, and the multitude of people standing on the deck scurried to fulfill them. Megan ran past Xephos, and tripped over the book he had dropped. Xephos caught her by the elbow, and she blushed. "Thanks." She whispered, handing the book to Xephos. He took it and put it next to a few others he had brought. She hurried off, and Xephos looked at the screen again.

"I'm getting some new visual input on this frequency." Geordi bellowed from the back of the room. "I'm projecting it to the screen now." Suddenly their most feared ship appeared.

The Borg.

It was so close to them that one side took up nearly the entire field of view. Xephos cursed under his breath, and Picard paled. Before he could give one order, a beam of light erupted from the Borg ship and hammered the Enterprise. The lights went out and the entire ground seemed to fly from beneath Xephos's feet.

He landed hard on his side, smacking his head hard on the ground. Spots swum before his eyes when the lights flickered back on and he stood up.

"Our shields didn't stop it at all, Captain." Geordi's voice was strained. He frantically typed with blinding speed.

"Awaiting orders." Worf said. Picard didn't hesitate. "Fire the phase cannons full strength. Don't bother with a warning shot. We know it won't do anything. Geordi, why didn't our shields work?"

Xephos studied the monitor in front of him. "Captain, our shields are completely down." He said.

Geordi quickly followed with, "Yeah, and I can't get them back up! The Borg have hacked everything. Our life support systems, our frequency scanners, our lights…" The lights in question flickered ominously as he spoke.

Worf hit a button, several times. "Captain, cannons aren't working."

Picard frowned. "They really aren't messing around this time. They aren't out to capture us. They're just trying to kill us!" His voice was quite panicked, very unusual for the captain.

"Yes, I agree." Data replied blandly. "We have destroyed many of their ships, and have informed the Federation of their weaknesses. It would be more logical to just destroy us. With the Enterprise out of the way, they would be less hampered in their goal of complete universal assimilation."

Tense silence fell as everyone absorbed what the android said. They wouldn't have the opportunity to strategize and get the upper hand as the Borg tried to capture them alive. They would be killed in space without seeing their enemies' faces. Another beam of light flew from the Borg ship and hit the Enterprise squarely. This time, though the floor shook beneath him, Xephos managed to keep his footing. "Number one, what damage have we taken?" The Captain asked of Xephos.

Xephos looked at the screen in front of him. "Light damage to the hull, and out shield generators have been badly damaged, not that we can use them anyway." was his grim reply

"Take evasive maneuvers!" the captain commanded. "Geordi, try to stop their hacking!" For several minutes, all that could be heard was the soft drum of fingertips on glass. Xephos looked at the Borg ship on the big screen, as the Enterprise darted around it. The deadly beams of light kept flying out, narrowly missing the much smaller ship. Eventually, one found its target. Xephos fell again, and the lights didn't flicker back on.

Picard had also fallen, but quickly got to his feet, "What's going on?" he demanded, pacing angrily.

Geordi didn't respond for a moment. "I can't break the encryption. They've disabled our engines, and they-" his voice caught. "Deck G has been depressurized." Everyone gasped or murmured under their breath. The ship was divided into many decks, each one fully sealable from the others. When the power had gone off the first time, all of the doors that would seal off the compartments would have automatically closed to prevent one catastrophe from growing far worse. Essentially, each compartment became an airlock. If an airlock was depressurized, then everyone in the compartment would have been killed immediately, exposed to the vacuum of space. Any air in the compartment was sucked out and the metal was crushed like a tin can.

Picard cursed. "Do we have any weapons or maneuverability left?" Geordi looked at his screens. "No sir." He replied. "I can turn emergency lighting on, I can open doors, and we can access the escape pods, but everything else has been deactivated. I can't break the encryption. I don't know how they've done this. I've never seen hacking like this before."

Xephos looked anxiously at the captain. He knew that Picard's pride wouldn't let him retreat easily, but if they remained, with no weapons, no engine, and a depressurized compartment, they would all be dead within the hour. "Evacuate the ship." Picard looked as though he had eaten a lemon. "We have no other option."

Data hit a switch, and red lights flashed on. A deafening, piercing alarm began to echo through the air. A door slid open and many of the people on the command deck, mostly young technicians and people who had been trapped there by the automatic doors, swarmed through it. Only a few remained, including Xephos, Megan, Picard and Data. The captain sent a quick broadcast out, letting any ships nearby know of their plight and warning them of the Borg's new upped defenses and hacking ability. Xephos grabbed the small pile of books, feeling silly but wanting to keep something of the ship. Megan stood by the door, looking uncertainly at the flood of people heading to various Escape ports. Each person on the ship had a certain escape port and pod that they were supposed to report to. She hadn't gotten one, a clerical error when she joined the ship.

Data looked at Picard. "Captain, should I remain here and continue to attempt to break their encryption? I might be able to do it and retrieve the deployed pods on the way to the meeting point. It would be better to leave me, as I cannot feel pain should I fail." The captain looked horrified. "No Data. You are much more useful to us alive than dead. This is temporary. We will return with a new ship after we know how to beat them again. We will need your knowledge." Data nodded. "Aye sir." He, Picard, Geordi and Worf left the Command deck. Only Xephos and Megan remained. Another pulse of light shook the ship.

"C'mon. We have to get out of here!" Xephos yelled. He tucked his books beneath his arms and grabbed her elbow. She paused, shaking him off. "I don't have a pod!" She exclaimed worriedly.

"It's fine." Xephos replied quickly. "Everyone else in mine was from Deck G." He felt terrible that his tone sounded relieved. It was tragic; He knew several people well that may have been in the section, but if they were gone, there would be room for Megan. She nodded, and together, they left.

They charged down the dimly lit corridor. Despite the huge number of people normally on the ship, they didn't see a single living person on their way. Several times, they would fly head over heels as another pulse hit the ship. Every time, Xephos was sure that the airlock they were in would depressurize and it would be the end for them. They were lucky enough to avoid that, but one of the shocks sent them tumbling more ferociously than the others. Megan landed on her leg wrong, and cried out in pain. As soon as Xephos was able to clamber up, he rushed to her side, fearing a sprain. It would make their escape that much more difficult.

Xephos knelt by her, and noticed that her ankle was worse than sprained; it stuck at a strange angle to the rest of her leg. Her face was contorted in pain. She tried to stop the flow of tears, but couldn't suppress them. "Just leave me Xephos." She panted. "I'll just slow you down. Save yourself."

Xephos vehemently shook his head. "No! Here, let's just take a little break-" Another shock interrupted him. They were both on the ground, so didn't go tumbling, but it jostled Megan's ankle and she whimpered in pain. "It's ok, it's ok." Xephos soothed her. "Listen we're almost there. When you can bear it, let me know, and I'll carry you to the escape pods. It's all going to be ok." She nodded, pale faced and shaking. "Just a quick breather sounds good." She replied in a wobbly voice.

"I was going to ask you to a drink after my shift today." Xephos said, trying to lighten the mood and take her mind off of the pain. It worked.

"Really?" She asked. Xephos smiled and nodded. Megan took a deep breath and clenched her eyes shut. The tendons in her neck were taut. "Ok, I think I'm ready to go now." Xephos stood, and scooped her up in his arms, doing his best to not bump her ankle. He was mostly successful, and he started to walk with heavy footsteps the rest of the way down the corridor. He couldn't help but notice how soft she was, so vulnerable in his arms.

He shouldered open the door at the end of the hall when he got to it, Megan nearly unconscious from the pain. The door didn't even automate slightly when he pressed against it, and he ended up having to force it. He saw the pod sitting there in its port, and it filled him with relief. "We made it." He whispered to Megan, who moaned an incoherent response. She was growing very heavy in his arms, and he gently put her down a few feet from the pod. She opened her deep brown eyes as he explained what he was going to do. "Ok, listen. The pod takes a few minutes to warm up for takeoff, so I'm going to start it and then return for you. I would just take you with me as I start it, but it requires a retinal scan and a pass-code to open it the first time, and I can't do that if I'm carrying you." She nodded. Xephos reassured her, "I'll be right back. We're going to be fine."

It was absurd, but he kept noticing things he never would have in a normal situation, like the way she was brave, even through the pain of her ankle and the destruction of the ship.

He stood from her side, and walked over to the pod. It was sleek and chrome grey, with the Federation's symbol printed on the side. He opened the scanner's hatch, input his password and lifted his upper eyelid. A blue beam flickered across his eyeball. The door opened with a hiss when it verified his identity. He walked into the fairly spacious pod, and entered the code that would start it. It hummed to life, and lights began to flash on the dashboard. He ignored them for the moment, and began to walk back towards the entryway to retrieve Megan. Suddenly, the pod's door slammed shut.

He tried the handle, and something in the pod began to beep urgently. A glowing sign on the dash read _"Low external pressure detected. Please enter code and re-authenticate identity to open"_ Xephos frowned. There wasn't low pressure outside; it was the same pressure as inside the pod. He entered the necessary code, and scanned his eye on a scanner on the inside of the door, but the hatch refused to open. The same message kept flashing. _"Unauthorized personnel." _It made no sense. He was first mate to the captain; he should have been approved for this. Any high-ranking resident of the ship would be.

He looked worriedly at Megan, who had managed to sit up. She gazed at the pod, awaiting Xephos. She noticed him looking out the window, and she waved. He waved back, frantically jiggling the handle. If he couldn't get the door open, the pod would automatically take off, leaving Megan stranded. It looked as though they were the last two on the ruined ship. It was unlikely anyone else would be able to help her. Megan, outside of the pod seemed to realize the problem. A flash of horror crossed her face. Abruptly, the entire dock began to shake, Megan howled in agony as it disturbed her ankle. The sound was mostly muted to Xephos's ears through the thick metal and insulation of the pod, but the faint ghost of it he could hear sent a shard of ice through his heart.

Giving up on the hatch, he pressed both of his hands against the window, peering out at Megan through his fingers. There was nothing more he could do. The last lights on the ship began to go out, flickering out one at a time. Megan's terror filled eyes met Xephos's, and he tried to convey all of the regret and sorrow he felt in that one glance. The shaking calmed a bit. She nodded sadly, and offered Xephos a tiny, pained smile. She understood that there was nothing to be done. Xephos's breath fogged the glass, and he wiped it away. As soon as he could see again, the shaking resumed with vigor. Tears clouded Megan's eyes, and all of the pain and dismay she felt squeezed Xephos's heart. A dull roar began to sound in his ears, even though the thick pod walls.

A huge part of the port's roof tore away, releasing all of the air inside to the cold expanse of space. Every loose object, including Megan, flew out of the gap, drawn into the dark embrace of the sky. Xephos's last view of her was her beautiful blue eyes fill with fear and then go completely blank as they swelled with blood and she was lost forever to the vacuum.

The pod was bolted down, and Xephos was fine. His pod automatically took off, its engine finally warmed up enough to fly. It required no human control to travel all the way to the meeting point. It was fortunate that the pod didn't need Xephos to do anything, as he just gazed out the window at the depilated starship in shock. The massive Borg ship ignored him, as it saw only the Enterprise as a threat, not the comparatively tiny escape pods. It was doubtful that it even noted the pods. He stared out of the window for a long time, long after the ships had vanished. All he saw was the terror in Megan's eyes as she vanished into the void.

_Ridgedog watched as Xephos frowned in his sleep. Evidently the memories that the Spaceman was experiencing were not pleasant. Ridgedog didn't know for sure, as he could restore the memories, but not view them himself._

Eventually Xephos was able to tear himself away from the window. He walked on unsteady legs to the front of the pod, where two large chairs sat in front of the dashboard. This pod was made for around twelve people, with a maximum of fifteen, so it seemed very empty with only one. He sat in one of the chairs, which was surprisingly comfortable. He watched a blinking light on the front panel for several moments until it occurred to him that he should probably check why it was blinking. The label read _"on course"_. That was one mystery solved. He soon drifted off despite the shock and tragedy he had been through.

His dreams were filled with Megan. She said that she understood that he had done everything he could, but then her eyes and her tongue bulged out of her head, filling with blood and turning red. A hole opened in his dream, and she flew through it screaming "I loved you!" Blood dripped from her face as she vanished, spreading and coating the entire floor, then creeping up the walls like ivy and covering the roof. His dream was full of her blood and his guilty conscience. Some other worldly voice seemed to echo from the bloody surfaces, calling to him, telling him it was for a cause, that anything bad happening was necessary.

Xephos awoke with a start, snapping up from his outstretched position. He hit his head on an overhanging monitor. He swore under his breath, rubbing the sore spot and examining the information displayed on the screen. One of the things that the screen showed was his current position. He knew the galactic coordinate path he was meant to follow to get to the meeting point, it having been drummed into his head on multiple occasions during safety drills. He was _very _far from it. He didn't have the vaguest clue where he was or where he was going. He had never been near where this display said he was. He tried to speak to the computer, only to realize that the system was far less advanced that the one of the Enterprise. He used the keyboard to access the course planner, to input the correct coordinates. He would arrive later than everyone else, but he would at least arrive.

He quickly found the right place to change the coordinates, but when he tried to replace them, a window popped up _"Please input code and identity" _Xephos tried first his own code, not really expecting it to work after the door wouldn't open for it. Indeed, it rejected his identity. Then Xephos remembered another code he could use. He wasn't strictly supposed to know the Captain's code, but it had made things flow smoother on the Enterprise if he had it. Picard had never minded, as it had saved the ship on several occasions, when the captain was unable to input it himself. Xephos typed in the code, sure it would work, and upset he hadn't thought to try it on the door.

_"__Error. Unauthorized personnel" _Xephos slammed his fist on the keyboard, spurring another error message. What was going on, that even the Captain's code couldn't unlock this damned machine? He realized that he was trapped in a case of metal hurtling through space with absolutely no control over his destination. The thought was chilling. Either the incorrect pre-set coordinates would get him to some sort of habitable planet, or he would be stuck in this case for his entire life. He would have no problem with air, as the filtering system could reuse it many times. There was no materializer on the pod, which surprised Xephos, until he remembered the age of the machine. It was a sure bet that any food on the pod was stored elsewhere, and had to manually prepared. The length of time the food would last him would dictate how long the rest of his life would be. He hoped that the coordinates would lead him to _somewhere._ Starving to death in space hardly seemed an enticing prospect.

Until then, it seemed he had nothing of importance to do. His eyes landed on the books that he had managed to bring. He had forgotten about them. He decided to save reading them for later, as this journey was looking to be a long one. He started to look through some of the other things stored on the ship.

In a cupboard, he found a Phaser, which refused to turn on. Great. There was also a few pod manuals, all of them missing pages, and the pages that were present had yellowed and torn pages. A deck of cards lay next to a long coil of rope. Xephos pulled out the rope and examined it. It was long and sturdy, made of a plastic fiber. Unlike most everything else on the pod, it seemed to be in perfect shape. A dark thought occurred to him. Should things grow too dire, he would be able to end it quickly rather than slowly dying of hunger. The coils of the rope began to look like a twisted noose, and he hurriedly stuffed it back into the cabinet. He grabbed the cards instead, and after counting them to ensure it was a full deck, sat down to play a game of solitaire.

Every once in awhile, one of the monitors would beep to inform him of the pod's progress. He imagined that on the other pods with the correct coordinates, people would cheer every time the annoying buzzer would sound. It meant that they were getting closer and closer to safety. To Xephos, it meant he was getting further away.

He beat the card game, and distantly shuffled the deck, his mind on other matters. Anytime his mind wandered, it kept going back to the terror that had filled Megan's face. He couldn't help but think how differently things would have gone had the Borg not attacked. They would be enjoying a pleasant drink together, perhaps hitting it off well. They might have made more plans. There might have been the romance that Xephos had only read about. But the Borg _had_ attacked. Megan was dead, and he was stuck in an escape pod with no recue in sight. The worst part was that he had absolutely no control and nothing better to do but play cards.

Xephos's hands started to shake, his face going red with frustration. He shuffled the cards more and more roughly, eventually losing control of them entirely. They flew up into the air, fanning out and falling to the ground. Xephos stood and stalked over to the computer. His footsteps echoed dully on the thin carpet.

He sat at the chair, and pulled up the command prompter. He wasn't exactly Geordi or Data when it came to computers, but he knew enough to try something. He pulled up the source code for the computer, and billions of ones and zeros began to scroll across the screen. He stroked a few keys, and it transformed into code that he could read. He scanned the text, looking for the section that would allow people into the system. It took several hours for him to have any luck. During this entire time, he didn't move once, except to scroll down the screen. At long last, he found the section. Reading the code puzzled him immensely.

It was in a strange format, not anything Xephos had seen recently. It stuck out from the rest of the code, but he could still read it clearly. It was an unfamiliar format, but still enough like the code that he did know. A small part of it read-

X=Raw_Input:( "Please input code and identity:")

RDog status= Any

While (RDog status=Any):

Print ("Error. Unauthorized personnel")

Xephos looked at the code again, realizing that it was a simple learning code. Basically the code would never allow him to access the coordinate editing part of the computer. Though it asked for the code and identity of the user, it didn't matter what was entered. The While loop wouldn't allow anything through as long as the RDog variable was 'Any'. Xephos couldn't edit the code, only look at it, as it was a read only copy. He groaned and closed the window, leaning back in his chair again. He was stiff from sitting still so long. He slowly stretched out his legs, savoring the sensation that flooded them. He stretched his arms and rolled his neck, then stared up at the ceiling.

His stomach started to rumble, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since before the Borg attack. He glanced at a clock, which displayed the current galactic time. He had slept longer that he thought earlier, and it had been nearly an entire day since he had escaped the Enterprise. He got up, and shambled over to the cabinet that held some of the rations the Pod had. The pod didn't have any of the materialzers could make food appear, fully cooked. The meals were vacuum-sealed, and a small knob on the package would start a chemical reaction that would heat the food inside. The total time the reaction took was around three minutes, so while waiting, Xephos picked up the cards that he had strewn about the pod. He grabbed some water in a glass and sat down to eat his food.

He opened the cooked meal, a small round meatloaf, with a side of mashed potatoes, and string beans. He devoured the food, surprised by his hunger. He guzzled the water, and then got another glassful. He was actually quite dehydrated from not drinking for the entire day. After he finished, he cleaned up the entire mess, just the small package the meal had been in. After that, he truly had nothing to do. He gazed around the pod, his home for the next indefinite amount of time. The pack of cards sat on the table, the bunk he had chosen to sleep in had his books, and some clothes that would fit him sat in a small trunk at the foot of it.

He decided to go through a few more cupboards before nodding off to sleep again. His efforts yielded several notebooks, a few packs of pens, and a voice recorder, which was a veritable dinosaur compared to the ones that had been on the Enterprise. He also found a small bag, which he put the recorder and some clothes in. He also stuffed the defunct Phaser into the pack, in the hope of perhaps intimidating any enemies. After his search, he curled up on his bunk and went to bed.

Around a week passed as such in boring monotony. He would play cards, read, eat when he was hungry and sleep when he tired of everything else. Time started to lose its meaning. He had given up hope of rescue from the Federation. Another session of reading the computer code had revealed a jammer preventing any one from contacting the pod, even shielding it from the view of nearly any sensor. It seemed quite like how the Borg had been entirely invisible to the Enterprise, and it made Xephos wonder if the Borg had hacked this one pod to take him in particular somewhere. He had dismissed that idea, because the Borg would surely have used more advanced code. Still, he didn't know why his pod had corrupted coding, and no idea of who had put it there. Nothing in the code hinted at anyone in particular. It seemed more and more like one of Q's tricks, but he dismissed that also. Q was powerful, but not as heartless as he appeared. He wouldn't have killed so many people on the Enterprise to play a prank on one person.

Xephos awoke very suddenly, unlike how he usually stirred from sleep since living on the pod. It took a moment for him to realize what was wrong. A loud, steady beeping came from one of the monitors. He rolled out of bed to investigate. A scrolling message on the screen proclaimed, _"Destination reached. Atmosphere detected. Auto Land Engaged." _ Xephos's eyes widened, and any trace of sleepiness vanished from his body. He leapt into action, feverishly tapping the keyboard and keeping tabs on the pod's altitude and velocity. Who knew how the pod would handle landing? The altered code had messed up enough already.

Xephos saw the planet that the coordinates had taken him to. It seemed hospitable enough, and he could see great oceans, of what looked to be water. He could also pick up areas of desert, mountains, and forest. All in all, it seemed to be quite fit for human habitation. He looked away from the view to concentrate on the screens. A tremor seized the ship as it entered the planet's atmosphere, and Xephos was lifted slightly into the air as his stomach dropped severely. He had been through training like this, so he didn't panic, but it was fairly uncomfortable. Once the shaking stopped, Xephos kept an eye on the pod's speed. To his alarm, it didn't decrease at all. The ground drew steadily nearer. He tried to take manual control, but the system still locked him out. His eyes darted around, glancing at all of the buttons. He saw the one he quested for and pounded it with his fist, then lost his balance completely as a massive parachute flew out of the back of the pod and began to slow its descent. The violent jolt pressed him into the rough carpeting of the pod.

He crawled over to his bag, and held onto it with all of the strength he could muster. The landing would still be rough, as the parachute wasn't meant to land the pod, just slow it. The burners still hadn't started, and with the coding as messed up as it was, Xephos didn't think they would. He would be lucky if he didn't break his neck. He began to float into the air as the pods velocity overcame the parachute's resistance.

With a huge jerk, the pod crashed into the ground. Xephos rag-dolled around the space inside of the pod, still firmly grasping his bag. The pod slammed into the ground a few times, eventually coming to a rest with an ironic gentleness. The last rough jostle the pod experienced also resulted in Xephos slamming his head against the hard dashboard. The scent of chemical smoke began to fill the air as Xephos lost consciousness. The last thing he saw was a huge strip of the pod's wall being torn away by a shady figure. A beam of hazy sunlight hit Xephos's face, and the figure leapt down the hole into the pod with him. His last thought was _"Megan."_

_Though Ridgedog was sure that plenty of time was passing in Xephos's mind, in reality it only took a few minutes for Xephos to view the bulk of the memories. The emotions flickered over the spaceman's face so quickly, he looked like a video that had been put on fast-forward. His turbulent face went calm for a moment as he started on the last chunk of memories._

Xephos's eyes opened slowly, letting in a flood of light. Above him, he could see a pillar of smoke rising high into the sky. It looked a little strange, floating up and up, further away, directly above him. He vaguely wondered what the smoke was from, at the same time realizing that he laid on the ground. Not the metal floor of a spaceship either, but soft yielding soil. His outstretched fingers picked up a rock blindly from his side and rolled it around. Then he suddenly recalled everything. The Borg attacked the Enterprise, and he escaped with one other person, a woman. His head felt murky. It was strange, but he couldn't draw forth her name. He noticed abruptly the presence of someone nearby. He clutched the stone tighter in his hand and sat up.

A wave of nausea threatened to overpower him, and a pounding started in his head. He groaned, and heard a voice say. "Ah, good morning. Well, afternoon." Xephos widened his bleary eyes, facing the source. The sun was behind the stranger, backlighting him in a way that Xephos couldn't discern any facial features. He could tell that the person was floating a few feet above the ground, giving him impressive height. That was strange enough, in Xephos's book. He wondered if all sentient life on this planet could fly. Or speak English for that manner. He tried to ask the stranger who he was, but all that came out was an incoherent jumble of vowels and consonants.

The stranger chuckled as he drifted closer to the ground, still not quite touching the dirt. "You must have a concussion. Your-" the guy struggled for the word, glancing at Xephos's pod, which lay in a wreaked heap. It was producing the smoke that spiraled into the sky. "-thing hit the ground pretty hard. It exploded too. Lucky happenstance I happened to see it." Xephos could always tell when someone was lying, and this guy was completely full of it. He struggled to form the words, actually sweating in his efforts. They still managed to elude him, and he yet again garbled his inquiry. The stranger looked concerned. "Listen, do you need some water or something?" Xephos shook his head, the motion dizzying. The stranger waved off Xephos's protests. "No, no, I insist." He walked through the air over to Xephos and held a flask to his lips. It didn't quite taste like water, instead faintly reminding Xephos of raspberries. Still, the instant he took a sip, his head cleared.

He blinked several times, taking a deep breath. He saw that the sun wasn't quite as bright as he had thought it to be, and he could see what the stranger looked like. A long grey coat with golden trim draped over his lean but muscular figure. He wore light brown pants and brown boots. He had strong and chiseled, yet soft features, with brown hair that curled slightly over his eye. He had an impish grin and a puckish twinkle in his eye.

Xephos cleared his throat and looked up at the guy. "Right, so who are you?" The stranger kind of glanced away, looking a little nervous. "Notch, I don't usually don't have to be around to explain anything." He murmured. Xephos grasped on the only thing that could have been a name. "What's that? Your name's Notch?" The stranger's eyes widened, and he quickly waved his hands out in front of him. "No! Notch no! " He realized how that could be confusing and frowned "Wow. You really aren't from around here huh?" Xephos shook his head giving a meaningful glance to his destroyed pod. The stranger raised an eyebrow, and then agreed. "True. Right, well my name is uh." He paused for a moment. "My name is Ridgedog."

Xephos slowly got to his feet. "Ok then Ridgedog. What's going on? I know that you weren't here by coincidence." He remembered something that had happened just before he blacked out. "And no one could have torn a hole into the side of my pod like that."

Ridgedog sighed. "Um, well I'm not really an ordinary person. I guess you deserve the truth, not that you're going to remember anything I say." Xephos was about to interrupt, but Ridgedog quickly waved his question away. "Save it for later, and sit back down." Xephos obliged.

Ridgedog ran a hand through his hair, floating up a few feet and pacing back and forth, as though he stood on solid ground. "Alright. I'm not exactly mortal. Not quite immortal either, but I should be. I uh, brought you here. Sort of. See, my powers are tied to this planet, and somewhere, a great evil is rising. Maybe not yet, maybe not for a few years, but I know that if the right people don't fight it, the pure darkness will kill this world. If this world dies, I die, so it's in my own interest to keep it safe." Xephos nodded slowly, confused but not allowing it to show.

Ridgedog continued. "Anyway, I could feel that one element was missing, one person absent that would be necessary to banish the malevolence. Unless I took action, this one person would never meet the others in time. I cast out my power, but I couldn't find the missing person on this planet. I did the best I could; setting up a little thing I call the 'Coincidence Creator'. Once certain conditions are met, it triggers a string of coincidences to make something specific happen, no matter how unlikely the circumstances seem. It doesn't have to start on this planet either; it just has to end on it. It gets to be more and more unlikely the further you get though. A tiny factor can pile up into something of enormous proportions. I'd say that my Circumstances brought you here. You're the missing element."

Xephos began to see how all of the events had lead to him getting here. He remembered the woman's name he had escaped with. _Megan, Megan, Megan._ He savored the sound of her name in his mind. Where had she gone? If Megan hadn't gotten his attention as he read on the bridge, he probably wouldn't have stuck around to help her get to a pod. He would have gotten to the port faster, and into a different, fuller, pod upon realizing that his was empty. He would have left with the other pods, not slightly after, and there wouldn't have been an issue with the code. For that matter, the coding was another coincidence. It could have been any pod, but it had been his among the other hundreds.

He wondered distantly where Megan had gone. Then, suddenly, he remembered. She had died, thanks to Ridgedog's 'Coincidence Creator'. Ridgedog had killed Megan, just to get Xephos alone, stranded on this planet! Xephos could feel the fury bubbling within him, and his hands clenched into fists, one of them around the stone he had been rolling around. His vision was tinted with red.

"Why did you murder Megan!? Do you have any idea how many people died!?" he yelled launching the stone he held at the immortal. Ridgedog dodged the rock with ease and stared at him blankly.

"No. I don't. I have no idea who Megan is. I just set up the fact that Coincidences will happen. I don't choose what will actually occur. That's entirely up to what opportunities are available. What's important is that you're here now. I was getting worried. I knew it was a long shot that anything _would_ happen, but I had a gut feeling that if it did, it would be here. Then I saw your thing go down, and I just knew that I had to step in or you would die. The coincidences would only lead to you landing here, not you surviving. Anyway, I'm going to send you to sleep soon, and when you wake up, you won't remember me, or anything we talked about."

His voice began to take on a hypnotic tone, and the anger that Xephos felt began to diminish. His eyes began to close on their own. Ridgedog continued talking. "You will remember being thrown from your thing and miraculously surviving the impact. You simply lost control of it as it landed. While you were in outer space, it took a random course, and you lacked the skills to change that. You will want to rejoin your people at first, but quickly lose the will, and eventually want to forget that any of it happened. You will love this planet, and want to protect it and stay here for a long time. You won't remember me, or anything we talked of. Also, since that girl Megan is a touchy subject, you just won't remember her either." Xephos fought the edge of sleep, fully aware of what Ridgedog was saying, but unable to act or even move. His eyes closed and he relaxed as Ridgedog finished speaking. "Oh and there is a dwarf coming this way right now. He will find you just as you wake up. Trust him, he will keep you safe. Now, I'm counting down, and when I hit zero, you will sleep. 3…2…"

Ridgedog took off as Xephos's head hit the ground.

A strange sense of Déjà vu filled Xephos as he awoke lying on the ground. He remembered being flung from his pod as it plowed into the ground. Then… nothing else. He sat up, meeting eyes with a red-bearded, short, stout person. Xephos scrambled to his feet. "Uh... h-hey." He stammered, more shocked than anything else. The stranger was about half of his height. He indifferently took a swig of something from a tankard he held. He took a few steps closer, looking up at Xephos.

"I'm Honeydew, of the local dwarves." Xephos raised his eyebrows, inclined to make some sort of sarcastic comment. However, for some reason he held his tongue, and introduced himself in the same way the dwarf had.

"I'm Xephos, of um… Space, I guess." Honeydew nodded as though people fell from the sky all the time. He peered around Xephos and his eyes lit up.

"Is that iron?" he asked, pulling out a pickaxe and walking over to Xephos's crashed pod. "Uh, no. it's a titan-" Honeydew had already chipped his pick on the pod (Made of titanium alloy). The dwarf sighed, looking at the now tip-less head of the pickaxe. Xephos ignored the dwarf for the time being, his attention distracted by a strange green creature. His bag lay on the ground, and Xephos took the phaser out of it. He remembered that it was broken, and was about to put it down when the Dwarf charged into him.

"GET DOWN!" he yelled directly into Xephos's ear.

The dwarf leapt up and attacked the green creature with his half-broken pick. The animal had gotten very close to Xephos without him noticing, probably as he dug through his pack. It hissed at the dwarf and swelled up, but Honeydew smote it with one final blow. The creature fell to the ground, and dissolved into a black powder. Xephos got up, rubbing his ear. The dwarf's voice still echoed in it. His phaser had flown into the bushes when the dwarf had plowed into him. Oh well, it was broken anyway. He looked at the black substance, and took a bit into his palm. It smelled like gun powder, and left his hands dry. The dwarf stared at him incredulously. "Haven't you ever seen a Creeper before?" He asked

"No" replied Xephos. "Is that what that was?"

The dwarf nodded, scratching his beard and sitting, leaning against a rock, extending his stumpy legs in front of him. He carried a small leather pack, and he pulled a few sticks from it. He lit the ends, and they flared brightly. "Here, take these and put them up."

Xephos nodded, uncertainly grasping the sticks. The dwarf rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you've never seen a torch either."

Xephos shrugged. "Well…" He replied. Honeydew leaned back. "Go put them on the ground. To keep mobs away. Then come back"

Xephos didn't bother asking what 'mobs' were. He just did as the dwarf said, and then returned. He felt a strange impulse to do as the dwarf bid. He didn't know why he trusted him so quickly. When he got back to Honeydew, the dwarf was draining the last of his drink. He wiped his beard and belched. Xephos's basic training came to mind. He gathered a few branches from the ground, and arranged them on the ground. The sun was now quite low, and the blue was rapidly fading from the sky.

He looked to Honeydew. "Could you light this?" Xephos asked.

The dwarf had been unhappily shaking his mug upside-down, every last drop gone. "Uh, sure." He grunted, and produced a flint and steel, quickly creating a leaping, cheerful blaze. "So," The dwarf started. "What's up with you, anyway,' Xephos of Space'. Do you mean the stars? That would explain why you don't know anything."

Xephos frowned at the brash way Honeydew stated the obvious. "Well, I can run an engine, and help command a ship." The spaceman objected defensively.

The dwarf squinted. "What's an engine? Is that redstone or something?"

Xephos's ended up explaining everything he could remember of the past few weeks, but he couldn't help but feel that there was some sort of gap in his story. He put it down to the head trauma he received during the landing. He and the dwarf talked well into the night, until he finally fell asleep around three in the morning. He didn't know it, but the dwarf kept watch over him until the sun rose in the morning.

Xephos rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The dwarf was already up, cooking a pork chop over the embers of the fire. When he saw Xephos stir, he flung another slab of meat onto the coals. "It'll be ready in a minute." He told the spaceman, and then pointed to his leather pack, still resting on the stone. "I've got some bread in my pack, so feel free to help yourself." Xephos did, taking one loaf, tearing it in half, and giving one portion to the dwarf as he sat next to him. The other he kept to himself, slowly gnawing it, enjoying the bland, but hearty grain. The dwarf poked the meat, shifting it on the fire. He didn't look up as the dwarf asked, "So where are you going?"

Xephos pondered that as he chewed his bread thoughtfully. "I don't know." He replied finally.

Honeydew checked one of the chops; then put it back on the embers. "I would bring you back to my city, but there are rules, like no non-dwarfs allowed. Besides, you'd have some trouble with the smaller tunnels." He glanced up at the much taller spaceman, who laughed.

"I guess I'll go out on my own. I just hope I don't have any trouble with the… what did you call that green thing again?"

Honeydew told him (for the third time) "They're called Creepers."

Xephos nodded. "Yeah, running into those would be unfortunate."

Honeydew sighed, checking the pork again. Satisfied this time, he carefully plucked them from the cinders. He handed one to Xephos. "I don't know. You see, I'm not super happy living underground with everyone else. I like it, sure. Its home, after all. but most of the rest of them never go above ground. Sometimes the sky can be beautiful too." The dwarf gazed at the sun, still rising. Xephos agreed. Pinks, oranges and a hint of blue spanned the entire sky. It had been a long time since Xephos had seen a sunrise.

He bit into the pork chop, warm juice dribbling off his chin. He chuckled, wiping it away. Something about this, just sitting outside, with someone he trusted watching the sunrise and eating a pork chop with his hands was liberating. He felt happier than he had been in years. He reminded himself that he still needed to get back to the Federation, but it was still nice to be so carefree.

Honeydew and Xephos talked for another hour, until the sky had turned completely blue. Honeydew grabbed his empty mug, and stared into it, a look of comical disappointment on his face. He looked up and stroked his beard gravely. His face got a very determined cast to it, and he nodded solemnly to himself. "Xephos." He said; the picture of seriousness "I'm going home to get more ale. It's important."

Xephos nodded, struggling to keep a straight face.

The dwarf continued in a somber voice. "I will be back soon, With more ale, lots and lots of it. Enough for a few days. I might as well stick around that long, eh?" he nudged Xephos, who smiled. They quickly bid their farewells, and the dwarf walked away, disappearing behind a hill.

Xephos looked around, as he hadn't yet gotten a good bearing on his surroundings. He was in a large green clearing, big enough to be called a field. Scattered trees extended beyond that, eventually thickening into forest. Small hills dotted the land as far as he could see, but above the tree tops, he could see the crest of a mountain. It was pretty flat where he was now.

Suddenly, he heard a loud buzzing coming from the sky. He looked up, to see a man flying through the air, a white coat fluttering behind him. He exasperatedly wondered where all the flying people were coming from. He frowned, wondering where that thought had come from. This was definitely the first flying guy he had seen.

The flying man landed by the pod, which was still slightly smoking from its crash. Most of the fires had burned out though. Xephos could see a strange apparatus strapped to his back, what seemed to be a jetpack. He was surprised to see that this planet had science that advanced. The way that the dwarf had used actual wood torches had obviously given him a bad representation of what the denizens of this planet were capable of. The man still had not noticed Xephos, and seemed to be observing the pod. Xephos felt no inclination to be particularly trusting of this stranger, unlike the impulse he had felt with the dwarf. He decided to put on a tough guy act to judge if the stranger was a threat.

He mustered his breath and yelled "Who're you?"

The other man jumped around, eyes wide. Xephos had startled him. "I'm Lalna. And you?"

Xephos nodded slightly to himself. Lalna was no coward, able to respond with a steady voice. "My name is Xephos." The spaceman realized that no one had actually told him what this planet was called. He got the name of the place from Lalna. He could vaguely remember the name 'Minecraftia' from something else, but he couldn't recall from where. He would have to check that later. Now for the tough/psychotic guy act. He yelled something about being far off course, as though he had any idea where he was. Then he punched the pod, just to add to his act. That was a bad idea, and he flinched back with real pain, clutching his hand.

He could feel Lalna watching him, so wasn't surprised when he finally asked a question, about how he had come to be on Minecraftia. Xephos gave him the abridged version of what he could remember. The memories grew fainter with every passing moment, it seemed. Soon after, the dwarf arrived, with a refilled mug, and likely a few more bottles in his bag. He seemed to recognize Lalna, calling him 'Goggles'.

The three eventually went back to Lalna's lab, before the sun could set. Xephos didn't know it yet, but great things were to come for him, for Honeydew, and for Lalna. But for now, they just relaxed, and watched as Honeydew downed four mugs of his dwarven brew. Xephos found his voice recorder in his bag, and decided to keep a voice log. Though even as he recorded it, he knew it wouldn't matter.

He was happy, surrounded by new friends. He had not a care in the world, and the stars seemed just that- stars. Not a place he needed to return to as soon as possible. He settled on staying for awhile, and seeing this new world. Then, he would return to the skies. As he promised this to himself, he felt the desire to leave diminish. Why ever leave? Minecraftia was beautiful. He should protect it from the evil that was rising.

He frowned. How could evil be rising? He shrugged the strange thought away, and went to sleep

_Xephos opened his eyes, startlingly blue. Strange wisps still floated in front of him, ghostly and transparent. Ridgedog watched him, a slightly concerned look on his face that evaporated when Xephos sat up and looked around at the vapor that floated before his eyes. Ridgedog clapped his hands once in front of Xephos's face and the wisps vanished. "Only I get to see the future." His tone was jokingly chiding, but grew somber. "Now I've clarified a few things, it's time for business."_

**End of Chapter 31**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 32**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! You may be wondering why 2 weeks have elapsed since I last uploaded, rather than 1, and so I'll explain myself. I had another theater production and other things to make me busy, including a lack of sleep, 5 separate huge grade-breaking tests and a short bout of depression that made me unwilling to do anything. It seems that I have mostly recovered, just in time for one of my patented migraines. (Now with free Hallucinations!) Since I couldn't go to school because of this headache, I figured it the perfect time to work on my story (between the waves of pain and sickening colours). Enough of my complaining! I apologize. This chapter was hard to write, but I hope that y'all find it satisfying and clear enough. Enjoy the chapter and have a wonderful day!)_

Xephos blinked several times, the holes in his memory repaired. It explained so much, but also raised a few very valid questions. If not for Ridgedog's input, would Xephos ever have befriended Honeydew? If Xephos had remembered Megan, would he have been able to fall in love with Lomadia? If Ridge hadn't made him predisposed to love Minecraftia, would he have returned to space by now? Nothing was certain anymore.

He squinted at Ridgedog. "So you're some kind of god? And I have to save the world? Why can't you?" Ridgedog drifted down to sit on the sofa opposite Xephos, taking his time to stretch his legs and lean back, arms folded behind his head. Xephos watched, annoyed but reluctant to say anything. Obviously the man had great power. How else could any of this have happened?

Ridgedog finally responded, "Wow, so many questions. God is a little beyond me. I'm more of a demigod. I have less power, and I'm more vulnerable. But that's fine with me. I don't have to worry about all of the petty power struggles that the actual gods get into. And yes, you have to save the world, _along _with everyone else I'm seeing. I don't know specifically who those people are. I just know what you have to do to get back on course. If you don't stay here for now, you mess up everything of the future I can see. The world probably ends or something."

Xephos was surprised by the nonchalance in his voice. "You sound like this happens all the time."

Ridgedog's smirk grew. "It does. It's not usually this complicated, and I normally don't have to step in directly. Generally I can just keep an eye on future problems and make sure the right things happen to stop or prevent them. Usually a person is on a set path that they feel very compelled to follow, and something small they do on their way voids the upcoming issue before it has any sort of effect and I have to step in. You won't stay on your path though."

Xephos frowned. "And why can't you stop the problem?"

Ridgedog sighed "Because I don't actually know what's threatening Minecraftia. All I know is the set of paths that have to be followed to stop it." The spaceman still looked confused, so Ridgedog explained further. "Ok, imagine a smooth piece of fabric"

Xephos raised an eyebrow skeptically, but obliged.

Ridgedog continued. "On the surface, it seems flawless, but upon closer inspection, lots of little bits of thread are interwoven together. Every thread is a different person, and every thread has different features. Some of them are twisted and frayed, and some of them are new and polished. This piece of fabric is very long, and at one end, the threads are more frayed, and on the other they are mostly new. Right now, this piece of fabric has a big tear in the center of it. Almost every thread around it is becoming blackened, like a fire smolders within them." Xephos nodded. He was starting to see what Ridgedog meant.

The demigod had closed his eyes, as though he pictured the cloth in his mind. "This tear will eventually ruin the entire fabric, and most of the thread around it is becoming twisted. Only a handful of the threads remain pure and unchanged. They are all bunched together, but if you follow them back, you can see that they come from distant parts of the cloth, one leaving it entirely."

Ridgedog opened his eyes, looking meaningfully at Xephos.

"Anyway, once in awhile something will change and one or another of the pure fibers will deviate from the bundle of them, and they all start to decay like the others. That's when I have to step in and move the errant thread back into place. After awhile, the threads will sew the big hole together, and the damaged threads will begin to repair. The threads that fixed the hole sometimes stay together, but for the most part they separate again, occasionally meeting. Every thread must be in place to fix the hole, though or they fail. This fabric constantly changes before my eyes, depending on what I've decided to do or have already done. I'm sorry; I'm pretty bad at analogies."

Xephos nodded slowly. "No, I think I get it. The threads that meet at the hole are me and Honeydew, and we have to fix it."

Ridgedog grinned. "Yeah, you and Honeydew, as well as many others. But I can't tell who every other thread is. The only way I knew yours is because I had to add it, so to speak. Your thread left the fabric very quickly unless I attached it to another. That other ended up being Honeydew. I only knew it as him because I knew that whoever was traveling with you would be the thread I had chosen. It was pretty random, really. I don't know what's causing the hole. I never do. Something will happen involving you, Honeydew, and the many others at some point in the future, and the hole will just vanish. My job is to keep an eye on it and make sure that none of the threads leave the bundle. If they do I have to figure out who it is, and push them back on course. I hardly ever had to do that before you! Your thread just refuses to stay in place. To be fair, I haven't had control over your thread for long. It's made of a slightly different material."

Xephos nodded again. "So I suppose I really do have to do as you bid, or else the world actually ends."

Ridgedog nodded. "That or it just kills me. Either way it's bad. Where would you guys be without this fantastic demigod looking out for you?"

Xephos rolled his eyes. Ridgedog laughed, and stood up. Xephos followed suit. The demigod gave him a hearty pat on the back. "Hey, at least you're doing it this time willingly. You struggled a lot last time I tried to bury part of your memory. I wouldn't be surprised if you permanently forgot a small part of your childhood or something."

Xephos stepped back from Ridgedog. "You still have to make me forget? I just said I would do as you asked."

Ridgedog shrugged. "I don't actually see the Future as a piece of fabric, but I'll keep explaining it that way to keep it simple. If I don't bury the things I've told you just now as well as your previous memory I restored today, your thread leaves the bundle, along with half of the others. If I do hide the memories in your subconscious, the threads stay together. You play a very significant role in this, like it or not."

"Wait" Xephos pleaded. "What else will you make me forget? Will I forget about everyone else? I don't want to forget them. I don't want to forget anything!" He realized as he spoke that what he said wasn't strictly true. How could he go on being friends with Honeydew knowing that the trust he had in the dwarf was placed there by Ridgedog? How could he love Lomadia while feeling guilty about Megan?

Ridgedog's eyes softened. "I don't have to make you forget all of that. You will still remember Lomadia, and though she leaves and you stay I'm sure that your relationship will be fine. I have to speak with everyone else, and make sure that your stories are all straight. I can probably speak to them as Old Peculiar, all at once, without having to explain everything. I just have to give them a story that their minds can accept explaining why the group is separating despite the earlier decision. You were the only one I anticipated a problem with" He looked down for a moment. He floated a few inches, which Xephos hadn't noticed. "How does getting hopelessly drunk and lost in the woods sound for a cover story? I'll just put that in their heads when I speak to them."

Xephos nodded slowly. "Uh, ok."

Ridgedog had Xephos recline in the armchair and relax as much as he could. It wasn't strictly necessary, but it would be more comfortable. "It's important that you don't fight me or what I'm saying. I might do more damage than good that way. This is sort of like hypnotism, except you will know exactly what's going on until you suddenly forget everything. Don't worry about anything. I'll set up a good story for the others to remember, and with any luck whatsoever, I won't have to step in again."

Then the demigod's tone gained a strange echo quality as he began the process of making Xephos forget. Thoughts raced through Xephos's head. Saving the world was a lot of pressure. And what exactly was Ridgedog playing at? If he could change the other's memories even while they slept, then why had he bothered to keep Xephos conscious? Surely it would have been easier than explaining everything. _"It's time, Xephos" _Ridgedog's voice, multi-layered, began to bounce around his skull, smothering him with a soft blanket. An instinctual desperation made him throw up mental shields.

He wanted to _keep _his memory. He knew rationally that it was better to let the demigod do as he wished, but he resisted, only because his mind would not accept bowing to another, no matter how powerful the opponent was. An unpleasant tingle started at the base of his skull and traveled down his skull, quickly growing in intensity, till it felt like a thousand knives danced down his back. Through the fuzz surrounding him, he could hear Ridgedog shouting something, but the words were unclear. The fuzz began to lift, and with it the tingle, more of a pulse now, began to worsen. Ridgedog's face swum into view.

"You can't resist." The demigod's voice was distressed, beseeching. It seemed as though he was worried sick about Xephos, if only for the role he would play in driving away the evil "You have to relax"

Xephos lifted a hand, watching as it trembled madly, flopping around heedless of what he told it to do. The sight was actually quite disturbing. He lowered his arm, where his hand continued its spasms on the soft material of the arm chair. Xephos took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He continued to take deep, balanced breaths, until the tingle stopped and he no longer feared the concept of what had to happen. Having his memory stolen like this, with so little effort on Ridgedog's part, was frightening, but necessary. He repeated that last part in his head, a mantra against the sudden stirring of the world around him. _"It's necessary, it's necessary, it's necess-" _He interrupted his own thoughts, by nodding and, eyes still closed speaking aloud.

"I'm ready. Let's get this over with."

Ridgedog nodded, the strange echo crept back into his voice, and he began to speak.

As he spoke, his voice began to lap at the edges of Xephos's consciousness, slowly tugging at his eyelids. He yawned despite himself, and he saw that Ridgedog was beginning to morph back into Old Peculiar. _"Listen very carefully. You will forget everything that we discussed, and all of the old memories that I returned to you will be lost again. You will go on, following the path I set for you. This is important if you are to fulfill your destiny of saving the world. You will forget all about me, and you will also forget everything about Old Peculiar. The next time you see him, it will be the first time you meet. You will trust him, without any doubts. You and Honeydew will stay near here, just outside of the town, until it's the right time to go. Nilesy and Lomadia decided together that it would be best if you two stayed here after all, and they moved on. Should you see each other again, you will still love each other. Your relationship grows so it can survive long distances."_ Xephos faintly thought he heard Ridgedog's voice crack. _"You will have a special kind of love. Now sleep. When you awake you will have the worst hangover known to man, but it will go away very quickly, as you get past the absence of Lomadia and Nilesy. With the loss of the hangover, you will be filled with ambition to have a new start with Honeydew in this new land."_

As Xephos's mind drifted off, he thought he could hear the demigod mummer, not in the enchanted voice. "You really are something special, Xephos. Very fascinating"

* * *

When Xephos came to, he had a pounding migraine. He blinked hard into the sun that was high above him, vaguely recalling stumbling into the woods, intoxicated beyond reason. Honeydew stared directly into the light, lying on the soft grass next to Xephos. The spaceman rolled over and retched, but nothing came up. He sat up, holding his fingers to his temples. The dwarf bounced up, seemingly free from whatever afflicted Xephos.

The dwarf leered at the spaceman. "I think you forgot that you were a human, not a dwarf." Honeydew informed him. "Hell of a hangover, right?"

Xephos groaned. "What even happened?" He asked. "I can hardly remember my own name right now."

Honeydew chuckled. "Well, Nilesy and Lomadia decided to leave anyway, and I guess that it upset you a bit. They wanted to have one last drink with us. At least they had one last drink. You had eight. The bartender threw you out, and I left with you, seeing as you were hardly in your right mind. You rambled a little, punched things a lot, and eventually passed out. I've been waiting for you to wake up. We're just a little outside of town now."

Xephos rubbed his eyes. "Shit. I'm sorry."

Honeydew's grin just stretched wider. "It's fine. It's always hilarious when humans get drunk" He dropped the smile. "Still, I'm sorry about Lomadia. I know you guys, uh…"

Xephos just nodded. "It's okay. I'll see her again." He didn't know why he was so sure, but he had no misgivings about staying. He was supposed to be doing this. It was better, anyway. Just him and the dwarf, the way things had been before. "How long ago did they leave?" He asked.

Honeydew looked at the sky. "Last night, but it's too late to go chasing after them."

Xephos stood up, the symptoms of his hangover beginning to vanish. "Not chasing, just wondering. C'mon, we need to get started."

Honeydew shouldered his bag. "What do you mean? Are we still hiking?"

The spaceman shook his head. "No, but that overhang down there could be sealed off into a pretty decent house."

Honeydew looked at the cliff, and nodded. "Sounds good." He said, grabbing his omnipresent pick.

The two went to go work, neither the wiser that the memories of last night (Or lack thereof) were supplied entirely by their friendly local demigod.

**End of Chapter 32**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 33**

_(Author's Note- wow. It has been forever since I've written about anyone but Xephos and Ridge. I went really into depth with Xephos's backstory, but hopefully it gives y'all more insight into his past, even though Ridge really seems to enjoy taking it away from him XD. I'm not sure yet what the Ridge/Xephos relationship is going to be. However I decide, I'm sure it'll be good. I miss writing about Rythian. His character is both amazing to write about and extraordinarily annoying, just because I really want to portray him well, as someone who could be very frightening and dangerous, but also caring to the few people he loves and trusts. I'm trying to write from everyone's side, as this is meant to be a passable backstory, but I've taken so many liberties I don't really know if it could be considered one anymore. But since I write from different sides, it's important to see how Lalna sees Rythian as a threat, without making the readers (You guys) see everyone's favorite Endermage as a villain. This quandary gives me actual headaches sometimes. Another problem is the romance. I want it to be good, without making a fool of or objectifying the Characters. I've been holding off on the Rythian/Zoeya stuff, because I can't help but think of them as how they are in real life, not how they are in something like Blackrock. This is the first time I've had an issue with this while writing. It's probably from watching some of Zoey's videos with Fiona. The do sound very happy together __J__I also want the bond Zoeya and Rythian have (As characters) to be deeply meaningful, and let's just suffice it to say I've not had much (Any) experience with relationships in general. Anyway, I'll work through this problem myself, but any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. It's worth noting that my internet is down right now, and I'm uploading this by stealing some public WIFI. This means that if you do leave a review, it may be a while until I can get back to you, but I will get back to you somehow. Anyway, enough of my rambling. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and have a absolutely wonderful day!~Mage)_

Rythian strode quickly through the morning crowds. Not many citizens were out yet, but the mage felt uncomfortable around any sort of group, even if it was only a few people. He quietly purchased a loaf of bread from a roadside vendor and continued on his way. Zoeya had already awoken when he left, but they hadn't eaten. She was going to look for a more permanent place to stay, as it wouldn't do to sleep in an inn for the entirety of her stay in the city. Rythian had told her that they could share a place, as it would be easier than her getting an apartment for only a few weeks. She said that she would think about it. Rythian still held a hope that her feelings would change for him, but the hope was small and concealed deep within him, where only Brother could see it. To be fair, Brother loved Zoeya as much as Rythian did. Despite his uneven temperament, Brother never wanted Zoeya to be hurt, and he could keep his irritability in check when around her.

Before long, Rythian had arrived at the gate and finished the small loaf. Like everything else in the city, the gate was fabulously ornate, with twisting arches and statues. The wall surrounding the city was also nicely decorated, but very tall and sturdy, made entirely of stone brick. The gaps between the stone blocks were thinner than the edge of Rythian's dagger. He hadn't noticed all of these things when he arrived yesterday, as he was road-weary and wanted to get into the city as quickly as possible. Now though, he could see that the huge town must have had a bloody history to have obtained such sturdy walls. Your friends didn't teach you to build walls after all. Your enemies did. Rythian's thoughts drifted in the direction of Lalna and his lab, a subject he hadn't dwelled on in quite awhile. A smirk touched his lips, hidden beneath his mask. He wondered how strong Lalna's walls were.

A voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hey! Are you just going to stand there all day?"

Rythian looked up quickly, his eyes darkening for a moment before he inhaled deeply and they lightened once more. He walked over to the source, a slightly pudgy guard who glared at him from the booth allowing entrance and exit from the city. "No, I was actually leaving the city for a few hours." was his response.

The guard languidly raised an eyebrow. "I don't care. Just be back before the sun sets. We close the gates then, and if you aren't inside them, you're stuck out for the night."

Rythian nodded, already making his way from the rude guard to the gate. The magnificent structure was even more gargantuan close up, and though the gate was lifted high above the ground, Rythian couldn't help but fear that the imposing iron spikes would fall and impale him. He passed under the gate, eager for the day's events.

He paced at a quick clip, putting a good distance between himself and the city, but soon was silently joined by another. He walked quietly by Rythian's side for a few minutes before speaking up.

"Where are we stopping?" Israphel asked.

Rythian stopped his movement, and glanced back at the city, now only a faint smudge on the horizon "I think this might be far enough. We could just walk into the woods, so no one sees"

Israphel looked at the city also. The buildings and sky walkways were still visible, but only because of their sheer size. They were around three miles from the town. "Why do we have to go so far? Why must I practice in secrecy?" The kid asked.

Rythian walked into the woods as he answered Israphel's question. "I am not sure how people around here would react to my abilities. Where I am from, I was hunted for them, and a friend of mine was also driven from her home because of her powers."

Israphel hurried after the mage, and soon the woods cast a comfortable shadow over them. "I see your point." Israphel conceded. "Still, traveling all of this way seems a bit much."

Rythian turned and caught him with a glare. "Why? It's better than to risk being killed. There are people who would stop at nothing to end the way we can control our energy. They would see you dead or captured before they would see you free." Rythian didn't know if what he said was true; the only one that he knew for certain pursued him was Lalna. He was sure that there were others. He reasoned that teaching Israphel had to remain a secret, if only to protect the youth from as-of-yet-unknown dangers. It was better to be fearfully cautious than foolhardily brave and open.

The two mages continued walking deeper into the woods until they reached a small clearing. It was very green, sunlight shining through the leafs of the canopy overhead casting the strange light. A few fallen trees made for good places to sit, and long spongy grass covered the ground.

Rythian paused abruptly "This place looks perfect." he said, gazing around at the place with slight wonderment. They truly couldn't have found a better place to train. Israphel sat down heavily on one of the logs, putting a leather sack he carried onto the ground. Rythian sat on a stump across from him. Israphel took his hood off, revealing his snow-white, unkempt hair. He brushed a bit of it from his eye. "Why do you wear the hood?" Rythian asked.

Israphel sighed. "People look at me strangely in the city unless I wear it. At home it's a bit better, and I don't always wear it, though my father prefers it when I do." Rythian nodded, knowing the painful necessity of concealing unsavory features.

"Well, why don't we start? I'm not sure exactly how to teach you howto do this. To be entirely truthful, I've never coached anyone in the art of magic, so I'll just explain to you how I do it. First, I uh, kind of try to feel the power I feel inside. You probably pull on it to summon your mist." Israphel nodded, a thin stream of mist flowing from his fingers and dissipating into the air. Rythian nodded encouragingly. "Good job! You can follow the mist back to the source, along your fingertips, up your arms, and into your core, right?"

Israphel frowned and closed his eyes. They flew open suddenly, and a triumphant grin stretched across his face. "Yeah, I can feel the power!" He shouted, exhilarated.

Rythian knew how he felt. Touching the actual source of power was different than merely directing it. You could direct the energy without actually being aware of its source, like summoning mist, lighting or flames. Doing other things required manipulating the source. "Awesome! Now try to focus on just the source of energy. Imagine it as an anchor, the only thing holding you to the ground." Israphel nodded, his eyes tightly screwed shut. "Good. Now that anchor is _slowly _lifting from the ground. Direct the force through your feet very carefully, and let it form a cushion. Press the cushion against the ground, and the more you send, the higher the anchor goes, until it is no longer an anchor, but a balloon, lifting you up." Rythian watched with satisfaction as Israphel slowly rose above the ground. It was unsteady and tenacious, but he eventually came to be more than a meter over the soft grass. His eyes were still closed, the expression on his face unwavering.

"Open your eyes Israphel." Rythian said.

The youth's eyes flickered open, then widened ludicrously. "Wha- I'm fly-" He crashed to the ground, the supple grass saving him from injury. His eyes were still round. "I was flying! Did you see that?!" His excitement was uplifting and contagious.

Rythian chuckled as he walked over to the prostrate kid. "Yep, and that's only one of the amazing things you can do with magic. How tired did that make you?"

Israphel looked up at Rythian, who now stood above him. He tried to sit up, but fell backwards again. "That was actually pretty-" he panted.

Rythian smiled. "Exhausting, right? Don't worry. The more you practice, the easier it is, and the more you can do. When you can sit up, let me know. I've got something to show you."

Israphel was eager to see, and so sat up immediately despite the dizziness. His enthusiasm impressed Rythian.

"Alright, watch carefully."

Israphel nodded quickly, eyes bright. With a single breath, Rythian floated a few feet straight up. It wasn't any noticeable drain on his energy, because he was simply much stronger than other mages, due to his Enderman heritage. "You can shape the energy inside of you, and by pushing it out, you can make it do different things!" He shouted down to Israphel, at the same time gaining altitude while drifting forward. The youth stated up with wide eyes. "Pushing raw energy in different directions while floating can move you around. I've not tested it myself, but I think that this would make it feasible to travel around by flying. I have been trying to avoid notice."

Israphel nodded, still carefully watching Rythian, who started to return to the ground, landing silently and gracefully. "There are other, more delicate uses for the energy, but they require a lot of power. You look a little tired. Maybe we could just talk for awhile before returning to town." Israphel agreed, with just a hint of relief. Though the discussion started centered around magic, it quickly drifted to other subjects, like their personal lives. The kid's story was so tragic and pitiful, that Rythian felt more comfortable sharing his own story with Israphel than anyone else he had ever met.

Rythian didn't enlighten him much, but over the course of about an hour, Israphel knew more about him than Zoeya did.

Rythian even told Israphel of Zoeya, though not by name, just saying that there was a girl that he knew he loved, but who didn't share the same feelings for him. Israphel listened sympathetically, telling Rythian more about his oppressive father in exchange. Before they knew it, almost three hours had passed, and Rythian knew that he should return to town- and Zoeya- soon. He left, bidding a farewell to Israphel, promising to meet him in the same place tomorrow at around the same time.

Israphel stayed for a few extra minutes, because they both agreed that it would be strange if they arrived at Mistral city at the same time. Just as the youth was preparing to leave, around fifteen minutes after Rythian had done the same, a rustle at the edge of the clearing caught his attention. A man stood there, not Rythian, though at first that's who Israphel took him to be. The stranger was tall and thin, but he wore no mask and his clothes were different. Also, he looked to be much older than the mage, though not ancient. The intruder took a few steps into the glade, and Israphel noticed that his feet didn't even disturb the grass. That was strange, but Israphel dismissed it for the moment, attributing it to magic of some sort.

"Who're you?" He asked of the stranger.

The man grinned, the kindly expression lighting up his eyes. He had smile lines at the corners of his eyes, as though he spent most of his time grinning. Overall, he seemed rather joyful.

When he spoke, his voice was gentle and soft. "Oh child, my name doesn't matter. What matters is _you_. I saw how you could float above the ground so quickly the first time you were taught how. I didn't want to disturb you, so I left and returned just now. You are truly gifted with the powers. The other fellow is teaching you well enough, but it seems as though he is also rather inexperienced. You could come out here for your normal lessons with him, and when he leaves, I could teach you more. How does that sound?" The man waited patiently for Israphel's answer.

"That sounds great!" Israphel replied enthusiastically.

After all, he would be getting twice the schooling. Surely that meant he would get better twice as fast! The man smiled again, and it made Israphel sure that he had made the right decision. Soon, he would be the best mage he could be. That would show his dad that magic wasn't all bad, and he would go on to become the best mage in the entire world!

Then his dad might actually be proud of him.

At least, that's what his new teacher told him. The old man showed him a simple way to gain more energy for casting spells. Israphel watched as his teacher carefully drew a circle on the ground, marking it into three different sections, and crossing it with several lines and what looked to be runes. "Now, Israphel, when the moon is at its highest tonight, and every night after, simply draw this on the ground where the moonlight can reach it. It should soon add to your already great power." Israphel couldn't help but to grin childishly at the man's flattery. He put the image down to memory, and then asked of his teacher a question. "Master, what shall I call you? You say that this does not matter, but I feel that I should respect you with a proper name, as you are evidently a great mage, with powers that I cannot hope to match yet." The man's brows furrowed, and he mumbled to himself. He looked up as Israphel, the merry twinkle still in his eyes "I suppose you may call me Nick. Old Nick. That's who I am"

**End of Chapter 33**

_(Another note real quick! I uploaded another story today, and it's worlds away from Yogscast. It's a Dan and Phil Gaming story, and it's actually really creepy. It's not smut or anything, it's not that sort of story. It was actually inspired by a Creepypasta. I've never really written a scary story before, so if you have any sort of interest in Dan and Phil or scary stories, it would be amazing if you checked it out and left a review or something. Thanks so much in advance! ~Mage)_


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 34**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! I find myself wondering how many of you know who Old Nick is. He isn't an OC, not quite, but I'm sure many of you may have heard of him before. He isn't Saint Nick, either. I'll leave you with that. I wasn't going to have an Israphel backstory when I first began to write this, but I realized that it really added a lot. I mean, it's fascinating to imagine what may have happened to make him angry and evil. Surely he was a normal person before all that, right? Also, this is a long chapter. More of them are likely to be longer now that the story is _finally _picking up. I'm going through a lot right now, so that's why there's been a lot of time between chapters. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the story and have a wonderful day!)_

Rythian reached the gate, expecting Israphel to at least be a speck on the horizon. However, there was no sign of the young mage, but Rythian thought nothing of it. With how the kid had described his father, Rythian was sure that Israphel would stay away as long as he was able. Rythian quietly slipped into the city, letting his eyes lighten, and allowing himself to melt into the hubbub and crowds. He walked as long as he was able, eventually reaching the opposite side of the town. The walls there were just as imposing and well structured, but the buildings rather run-down and the entire place fairly empty.

Suddenly, he heard someone speaking to another in soft tones. He had realized before that he had somewhat sharper hearing than an ordinary person, which helped in this case. One voice he could hear clearly, but the other was too faint for even him to make out. Drawing his cape tighter around him, Rythian snuck closer to the source. The sounds seemed to be coming from a narrow alleyway.

Before he got too close, a brilliant idea struck Rythian. He had a basic understanding of how light moved through the air and reflected. He wondered if he could somehow use his Powers to reflect the light around him, making him invisible. The idea appealed to him, and to Brother as well. A few seconds of internal discussion quickly birthed an idea to do just that.

He stood silently by the edge of the alley, not particularly interested in eavesdropping on these two strangers, but deeming it a good opportunity to practice. He tapped into the power that rushed through his veins. He and brother had agreed that there was one of two ways to become invisible. He could vibrate his entire body fast enough to vanish or he could forcibly bend the light around him, making it physically impossible for someone to see them. They decided to try the first option before the second.

He trembled madly like one of his fits had seized him, but nothing happened until he began to feed a trickle of Energy to each of his muscles. Every part of his body seemed to suddenly lose all of its strength, becoming limp and sore. All at once, he began to shake, thanks to the Power that kept his muscles going. With a sickening jolt, he found himself standing twenty feet from where he had been. He fell to his knees, and it was well that nothing but bread was in his stomach, for he quickly decorated the cobblestone with the remnants of his dull breakfast.

He got to his feet, wiping his mouth and grimacing. He felt weak-kneed and drained. _"That didn't work." _Brother remarked blandly. Rythian growled, pale eyes narrowing. He was not as volatile as brother, but a failure that bad was annoying.

_"__You don't say?" _ He responded mentally. The venom in his mental voice subdued Brother, for the meantime at least.

As soon as he felt steadier on his feet, he crept back over to the wall. The two in the alleyway somehow hadn't noticed his antics. He steeled himself to shape the power his next attempt required. It was a little more complicated, as affecting himself was easy, but extending the effect to his surroundings was far more complex. He closed his eyes, dedicating the whole of his attention to the one task at hand. He felt the power, (which had swiftly returned despite his mishap) blossoming within his chest. With each breath he began to push it further, shaping the Energy until it fit him like a second skin. He precisely directed it, telling it mentally what he wished it to do. He had come to know his power well in the months since he had escaped Lalna's laboratory, and he was well aware of its fickle nature. It would easily turn on him given the chance, and if he was not perfectly clear in his instruction, it wouldn't be kind. It was strange to refer to this concept as a sentient thing, but to Rythian, it made sense. It was a separate part of him that held the magic and the only reason it had for keeping him alive was its own self-preservation. Rythian chose not to dwell on it too much, as it generally left him worried and confused.

Rythian waited tensely as he waited for his Energy to change to fit his requirements. In this case, he would need the casing it formed around him to redirect the light that met it. He hoped that making the light particles skid around his form, it would shield him from view. However, it had to let in other things, such as air, or Rythian would suffocate. The difficult part would be screening the separate components of air. Eventually, the Energy started to shimmer, and Rythian was filled with warmth. He still stood by the corner of a building, and though the street was not busy, he worried that someone would see him. The warmth soon grew into a stifling heat, and Rythian started to worry that he had asked too much of the Energy.

Brother spoke to him, a hint of panic audible even mentally._"I fear it is too much for us to do right now. Please Brother, recall the spell. I'm afraid we might burst into flames on the spot!" _Rythian's face set into a hard expression as the fire started to burn from his chest, traveling through his veins and spreading along the surface of his skin. It was not quite pain, but like stepping from a cool room into an unusually hot summer's day. The fact that the air was actually quite cool made Rythian a furnace, and if someone had been standing near him, they would have felt the raw heat from several feet away.

When it began to intensify even more, Brother began to plead, but his cries fell on mentally deaf ears. Rythian stood, arms spread wide. The flow of Energy through his limbs made him feel masterful, but even as the power flooded through him, he could feel the strength that the spell was taking from him. Just when he was about to admit defeat, that the spell was truly too much for him to attempt just now, the flow abruptly stopped. It was too sudden in a way, making him feel cold in the mild air. Everything had transpired in less than a minute, but it had felt like much longer.

He tried to glance at his arm, and saw… nothing. Not that he was invisible, but that simply everything was gone. He was in complete darkness. He felt a slow gnaw of fear in his stomach. He could hear the soft sounds of town around him; he could even feel a soft breeze upon his skin, yet he was blind. Before he could let himself panic, he released the part of the Energy that covered his eyes. Instantly, the world came into view. It's vividness, all the blues and yellows and greys, so suddenly he felt dizzy. With a bit of help from brother, he tighted the layer of Power so that only the pupil of his eye was visible. Anyone else could see them as well, but it was unavoidable. Until he could find some way around the basic nature of light, he had to allow some through to his eyes.

He looked at his arm again and a wide grin split his face, hidden beneath his mask, and now a layer of invisibility. Now the spell worked, though Rythian felt significantly weakened. When he moved his arm, he could see a faint distortion in the air, so the spell still wasn't perfect, but it would be impossible to see the warping unless under close scrutiny. He was more worried about his pupils. Brother was less concerned. _"Well, go on. We have the spell. We might as well see if the two in the alley notice us. Go see what they are speaking about"_

Rythian nodded in agreement. His spell had covered his clothes as well, so no one would see a random cape go floating down the street. However, the spell would do nothing to muffle the noise he made, so silence was key.

He cautiously peered around the mouth of the alley, and saw something that he most definitely didn't expect. It seemed to be the grumpy guard he had spoken to earlier that day, and who looked to be another guard, this one wearing a different color trim. They stood closely together, not quite embracing, but close enough that the small distance hinted at something more than friendship. The grumpy guard toyed absentmindedly with the hem of his tunic, while the guard with the different colored trim looked earnestly into the grumpy guard's eyes. He seized the grump's hand, and the grump didn't pull away.

Rythian was torn between giving them privacy and learning more. Though their relationship was obviously a secret, no doubt someone else knew. To that other person, it would be no more than small gossip, but to Rythian, it was intriguing. His scruples aside, he crept a few feet closer to hear what they were saying. The grumpy guard spoke first-

"Lysander, I have to go soon. I put that oaf Joel in charge of the main gates. He does such a bad job at keeping the records, he'll undoubtedly mess them up and I'll be missed."

The other man, presumably Lysander, then spoke- "Jasper, peace. I know Joel, and I do agree that he has in brawn what he lacks in wits. However, I simply don't think anyone will care about you disappearing for a few moments. The record-keeping dates back-

"Back to the time of the Great Forest War. I know"

"Then no one will care if they are a bit mussed or sloppy! It was our ancestors war, and the record-keeping is outdated and unnecessary"

Lysander's tone was sweetly intense, and Jasper grinned, the movement completely changing his face. He looked less worried, and just…_happy._ It occurred to Rythian that Jasper and Lysander were both pretty young, only a bit more than schoolboys, really.

"That's the argument you use every time."

Jasper took a half-step closer to Lysander, and stared up into the somewhat taller man's eyes. Rythian was about to turn away, but accidently knocked a plank of wood to the ground. It startled the two men, who turned to face the noise. It had been leaning precariously against the wall. When he had seen it before, he reminded himself to avoid it. He silently cursed himself for forgetting. _Run? _He asked Brother.

The Voice quickly weighed the choices. _"No, lean flat against the wall. With any luck, they won't touch it."_

Rythian was still able to see as Lysander kissed Jasper, a quick peck on the lips, and then Lysander spoke. "Flee, my love, so none discover us!"

Rythian vaguely wondered about their strange way of speaking, but was too preoccupied with being completely still, pressed against a damp, mossy wall. If he breathed deeply, he would be heard, so every breath he took was painfully shallow. His limbs were shaking from the very stillness that he forced into them, a paradox that puzzled and annoyed him immensely. He closed his eyes as he felt the rush of wind that signified Jasper passing by. The guard didn't slow even slightly when he passed by the mage.

Lysander was slower to leave. He stuck around for a little while, and Rythian's limbs had grown quite sore by the time the guard gathered his things. Rythian would have left sooner, but he was precariously perched among several unsteady bits of rubbish that littered the entirety of the ally wall, and to move promised discovery.

As Lysander passed Rythian's spot, the guard stopped with a perplexed expression evident on his face. Somehow, in his cloud of suppressed adrenaline, Rythian noticed a peculiar detail of the guard's clothing. The same bird symbol that he had noticed on some of the city folk's clothes yesterday was present on the left chest pocket of Lysander's shirt. Rythian supposed that Jasper had one too, but the he hadn't been looking when Jasper passed by. Rythian remembered Israphel mentioning his father's 'Skylord friends' and decided that was what these people must be. Rythian wondered what separated a typical soldier from a Skylord.

Lysander passed by Rythian, dismissing whatever had attracted his attention as a symptom of jumpy nerves. Rythian saw one last detail on the symbol, fancily scripted words- _Skylord Academy Trainee. _The mage figured that there was a school that people went to, to become Skylords. He made a mental note to investigate it further later.

When Lysander disappeared around the corner, Rythian let out a pent-up breath. He released the spell, and then fell to the ground, his legs turned to jelly. As he let the spell dissipate, he felt the remaining energy withdraw into a hard ball at his core. He quested towards it, and felt it retract into itself even more. Rythian figured that he was probably done with using magic for a while, perhaps even the rest of the day. He got to his feet, legs wobbling, but useable.

_"__We did it!"_ Brother enthused. Rythian smiled tightly, knowing that Brother either couldn't feel or didn't care about how weak the magic had left them. A tremor ran through him.

"_I'm heading back to the tavern, to try and find Zoeya. And food." _He told Brother, who agreed in emotion rather than words. Rythian stumbled back to the Inn.

* * *

When he arrived, he lost no time in eating three bowls of stew that the Innkeeper, (A charming older lady named oddly 'Granny Bacon'.) always kept on simmering on a back burner in the kitchen.

After eating he felt much sturdier, and the magic within his chest was nearly back to as it should have been. He thanked Granny, and looked outside. To his surprise, it was not yet noon. He walked for a few moments and sat on the same bench that he and Zoeya had relaxed on the previous day. He was supposed to meet her here again at sundown, and that was still quite a few hours away. He was tired, so allowed Brother to take control. He was so used to the change that no more than a second passed in the transition.

His eyes darkened. The instant he had control he conjured a tiny wisp of violet flame, diminutive enough as to be unnoticeable to a passing stranger. He let it flicker in the space above his right palm, and it traced the invisible lines of his veins, up his arm to his inner elbow, and then all the way to the tip of his longest finger. He stared at it unblinkingly for several of its patrols, until an idea slowly occurred to him. The tiny wisp vanished, and each of the fingertips of his right hand blazed fiercely for a moment, until he closed his hand into a fist and the flames were extinguished.

He needed to speak to Parv. He knew some things about the nature of his power, but surely someone who could see the actual power residing inside of him would be able to tell him more. The band member had seemed awed at the strength of Rythian's power. It would be easy to convince him to help. The question would be where to find him.

Rythian got up and set off with purpose, weaving in and out of the crowds on one of the main avenues with ease. He wanted to get to the center of the town, where Skylord's Plaza was. Rythian wasn't sure if Area 11 would be performing again, but it was worth searching there first. He just hoped that Parv wouldn't be miffed at Rythian's accidental rudeness the day before.

In spite of the crowds he faced on the way there, the plaza itself wasn't very busy. He could only count nine others sitting on the pleasant benches or strolling on the smooth pavement that crisscrossed the park. He supposed that there could be others hidden from view by the central stage, but that didn't matter, as he had already found who he sought. It was easier than he expected.

Though his eyes were dark, he felt himself becoming rather nervous at the thought of speaking to the other mage. Doing this, well it was like baring his soul to the near-stranger. Though the benefits it brought were bittersweet, he realized suddenly that the magic was more than a thing he could control; it was a huge part of who he was.

Before Rythian could decide to leave, Parv looked up from the guitar he was tuning as he leaned comfortably against a tree. He was within shouting distance of Rythian, and made use of that fact.

"I was expecting you! Come friend, join me!" the Mage yelled, as way of greeting.

Then, Rythian had no choice but to obey, unless his pride would let him run again. To add to that, he was truly intrigued. Understanding how his magic worked would hopefully make him stronger. He belatedly thought of Israphel. Bettering himself would make it clearer how to tutor the youth. Rythian walked confidently over to Parv, though in his mind he was hesitant.

"Hello." Rythian said simply.

Parv plucked one of the strings on his guitar, and seemed unsatisfied with the note, though it sounded clear and sweet to Rythian's ears. Only then did the guitarist squint up into the sun to respond with his own greeting in turn. He stood, and regarded Rythian, who had the uncomfortable sensation that the other mage was staring straight through him.

Soon though, Parv's eyes focused, and he smiled cheerily at Rythian. "I know you have questions, and I might have answers. It regards magic, right?" Rythian nodded uncertainly.

"Right then! You might call me a bit of an expert in magic, so if you will follow me, I will make all clear…"

As the mage spoke, it was energetically, with much flourishing of his arms. He jumped up and began to walk away, leaving Rythian no choice but to follow.

They made a strange sight- a boisterous young man with a scruffy beard leading the way down the road with much ruckus and clatter, with a tall, slim and subdued figure in tow.

To the observers, the slim figure was painfully uncomfortable with the attention his companion attracted, and took lengths to walk silently, not that it made any difference. However with the swishing of a long black cape, the strange pair always managed to melt back into the masses.

**End of Chapter 34**

_(Another Author's Note- A special thanks to some random Tumblr post that taught me that if you were invisible you would be blind. Who says you can't learn on the Internet? Also, many, many thanks to my bestoe, Spiritedandloyal. I've been going through some rough stuff recently with depression and whatnot, and she has always been here for me. Also she reviews like, every chapter, which is pretty amazing. I love all the rest of you too!)_


	34. Chapter 34

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! Chapter 35... this was the length I originally planned for this to be, but so much has been changed and added. I can remember the day I put the first chapter up. It's been a bit of a nostalgic day for me, and I'd just like to thank you all for being such a fantastic group of people. Speaking of nostalgia, do any of you remember 'Minecraft Christmas' by Area 11? A fellow author of mine, SpiritedandLoyal, and I, have laboured over a Christmas story based on it! The first three chapters are on her Account, and the final three are shortly going to be on mine (with any luck). Make sure to check them out if you are so inclined! Enjoy the story, people, and have a wonderful day!)_

**Chapter 35**

Sips paced outside of the complex that he and Sjin called their home. It _was_ a home of sorts, nothing like the sleepy villages they had grown up in. There was one comfortable manor, and around it, the skeletons of massive towers were taking shape. There was definitely progress every day, and every hour that passed made his business more lucrative.

So why wasn't he happy?

He had really been sure that all he needed was a factory to be content, but now that he almost had one, he lost that certainty. What did he need? If only he knew that, he could surely find his desire somewhere and buy it. Maybe he could see about making the floor of his office out of diamonds, or putting in a pool. Still, with a stream so near, there was no reason to get a pool. He didn't even swim.

He tripped on a hidden stone and fell, but the grass was short and he wasn't injured. He lacked the inspiration to get up, so instead flopped around in the grass until he was more comfortable. Then he stared up into the sky, bright and warm, especially since they had cut down the surrounding forest to make room for the new buildings. He let the past few days' events wash over him

Things had gone as they nearly always did. The only incident that stuck out in his head was when he had to chase the forest dwellers from his lands. That hadn't been too difficult, as the intruders had not sought a fight, but only to see where their friends had gone. Sips figured that the friends were probably the dwarf and the other guy who was with the dwarf. He hadn't really paid attention to their names. After that, things had returned to normal. There had been a few mob attacks, but not more than would have been expected. Sjin had gotten an arrow injury, but it was a glancing wound and was doing a fine job of healing. They hadn't had any problems with anything, and their progress was going smoothly.

Sip's eyes snapped open when Sjin walked over to him.

"Hey, boss are you ok?"

"urgg…"

He realized that he had fallen asleep in the bright sun. He cursed as he felt the painful sting of sunburn in his cheeks. He sat up drowsily, the warmth of the sun flooding though him.

"Sjin, no I'm not ok. And you can drop the 'boss' act. It's only us right now." His voice had his trademark insistent whine, not quite annoying but more endearing. Sjin blushed slightly. It was easy to fall into the boss/employee act that they used to fool outsiders, but when alone the two were actually good friends.

"Yes sir- uh, I mean Sips. Anyway, what's bothering you? You really haven't been yourself lately."

Sips thought about it, and eventually landed on what he had been thinking about before he fell asleep; or when he was sleeping, he wasn't sure.

"Well, nothing ever happens Sjin." Sips replied finally, looking at his friend. Sjin pulled distractedly at the end of his luxurious moustache.

"What do you mean?"

Sips took a deep breath, trying to decide how to explain his feelings. "I'm fuckin' bored Sjin. Every day, we get more done, but it's never really enough. There's always something else to be done, and it's always something fancy or technical that I don't understand. I understand money, and now we're rolling in it. It doesn't matter how we got it, but now we have it, and we could set piles of it on fire and not even notice because we just have so fuckin' much of it." His eyes narrowed at the gleam in Sjin's eye. "Don't burn my money." He growled.

Sjin nodded, abashed. "I see what you mean Sips. I mean, I'm satisfied, but I can see why you wouldn't be. I have stuff to do, building and experimenting with the new technologies I've discovered, but you really have nothing."

Sips sighed. "Thanks for putting it out in black and white for me. I really needed that." Sjin knew his friend was being sarcastic, so kept his silence. Eventually Sips spoke up again. "We should go do something. Something cool, and daring. Maybe we can make it something that will help the company overall as well. But what, I don't know."

The two relaxed in silence for awhile, until an idea came to Sjin. "Hey, Sips! I've got it!" He exclaimed.

Sips looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Ok, so we do this. You know how when we checked around the perimeter of this forest for anything that might be beneficial or dangerous?"

Sips nodded.

"Right, well, one of the things I marked on our map was the lair of someone named Lalna. I'm pretty sure he is a scientist. Well, actually I'm certain. The lair is actually a big lab." He recognized the look of Sips's patience growing thin, probably at his babbling. Sjin swallowed a lump in his throat and continued to speak even faster. "Anyway, we can break into the lab. Apart from the challenge of it, as I'm sure he has defenses, we might learn some valuable stuff from his discoveries, and we could steal some prototypes or something!"

Sjin stopped, breathless. Part of him couldn't believe that he had just suggested breaking and entering, along with stealing. He never would have thought of doing something like that before that one disastrous night in the pub so long ago which led to him meeting Sips. His pale employer was having more of an effect on him than he thought.

Sips grinned. "That sounds senseless, idiotic and quite possibly deadly. Let's do it."

The two made plans, putting their technology against what they thought Lalna might have. They had no idea just how outgunned they were. The scientist had been working non-stop to make sure that his lab was safe. Surely the clumsy attempts of two bored men looking for a bit of fun couldn't mess up that much?

It was well into the night, and Lalna was just preparing to go to bed. He wanted to keep working, but the exhaustion that seized his limbs was so severe that he was forced to admit that he was more likely to injure himself or destroy something than make a breakthrough. It was grudgingly that he put the tools he was using away. Since he had spoken to Toby earlier, the scientist hadn't gotten much done. The kid had left soon after speaking to Lalna, seeming somewhat uneasy indoors. After the visit, Lalna had been unable to concentrate. All that he could think about was how the Immortality chips seemed to be more of a bane than a blessing. They were obviously doing their jobs, but Lalna feared the people would soon begin to grow used to the benefits. If the program crashed and people still risked their lives as if they would respawn, many inhabitants of Minecraftia would die, needlessly and awfully. If people started to think that they were truly immortal, naught but disaster could follow.

Lalna had taken off his jetpack, and was about to remove his goggles, when the warning popped up again. He cursed as he pulled on armor. His jetpack was low on the special fuel, and it would take valuable minutes to refill. Instead he strapped himself into thick iron plates. With the armor, Lalna would hopefully be able to survive against Rythian long enough to shoot the mage. However, there was no saying who it was. He refused to frighten himself by thinking about it over much. If it was Rythian, he would deal with him. If it was anyone else, he would ask questions first before shooting. Maybe.

Lalna strapped the last bit of armor into place, and tapped the side of his goggles to clear the pop-up. It vanished, only to be immediately replaced by another. Lalna's eyebrows shot up. _Two_ intruders, and so late at night?

He pressed a button that would refuel his jetpack and rushed out of the room, or rather, tried to. The armor was so heavy that it considerably slowed his movements. It was more like a quick shuffle to confront the invaders.

Another window popped up, letting him know that whoever had been traipsing about on his property had now entered the actual building. He realized that he had forgotten to rearm the locks after Toby left, and he cursed loudly and worriedly. Anyone who wished to open the doors would have been able to. He felt the old fear of Rythian rising in his chest, and his heart beat fast. He tossed it from his mind. There was no proof that it was actually the mage, so it made no sense to worry yet. He rapidly entered a code into a safe on the wall and grabbed one of the ordinary laser guns. They didn't have the altered Energy within them, but it would still hurt anyone but Rythian.

Lalna heard a muffled thump, several halls away. He cautiously headed towards the noise. The clanking of his armor was annoying and loud. He held the gun and pressed as flat as he was able against a wall. He could hear someone speaking. He realized that it was his own voice. Someone was listening to his tape recorder! His voice on the recorder was speaking about Rythian, and it sounded like it was the recording from the first fateful night, when the Specimen had finally been removed from the cloning vat.

Someone else said "Jeez. This guy sounds like such a nerd."

A quiet giggle followed his words, which ended in a playful "Shut up Sips! He'll find us."

Lalna narrowed his eyes. He didn't know Sips well, but he knew that the guy was a greedy, unethical bastard, who couldn't take anything seriously. Xephos's letters had said that Sips had an employee named Sjin. From what the scientist understood, they were annoying and opportunistic in the worst way, but harmless, though Xephos had also said that Sjin knew his way around a sword. So why had they broken into his lab?

Time to figure out. Lalna turned around the corner, gun in hand.

"Put down the recorder!" He barked.

Sjin's mouth dropped comically, while the only thing that Sips dropped was the recorder. It smashed into pieces upon meeting the ground. Lalna growled, exasperated that the tape had probably been destroyed.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded with steel in his voice.

Sips quickly put his hands in the air, showing that he meant no threat. He drew a yellow bit of parchment from his coat.

"Well, see here, goggle dude. I have a deed for this-"

Lalna stared at him, skeptical to the extreme. Was he really trying to use the same trick that had worked on Xephos and Honeydew?

Sjin saw the disbelieving look, and elbowed Sips.

"He's on to us." He whispered "Follow my lead."

Lalna watched them suspiciously, unable to hear their whispering, when suddenly Sjin's eyes widened and he pointed just above Lalna's left shoulder, yelling "Herobrine!"

Lalna turned, falling for what was quite possibly the oldest trick in the book. Even as he started to move, he knew he would see nothing, but he looked reflexively. He heard Sjin shout-

"Run Sips! C'mon!"

The two breezed past Lalna, who tried to aim with his gun, squeezing the trigger. The beam shot past Sjin's face, not harming him, but singeing his beard. The next bolt narrowly missed Sips. The two didn't stop running, but Lalna could hear cries of dismay from Sjin, and a hysterically exhilarated laugh from Sips. The laughter continued for a long while.

Lalna cast off the armor he wore, as the other two didn't seem to have weapons on them. All that the armor did was slow him, and as soon as he was rid of it, he pursued the other two with speed. He held the laser gun firmly, ready for a shot. The other gun with the altered Power within was stored safely in an insulated holster at Lalna's side. It wasn't able to burn him as long as he didn't touch it. It wasn't hard to find the two uninvited guests, as they made no attempt to be quiet. Lalna's lungs were beginning to strain when he heard Sjin's exclamation of

"Ooh! Jetpacks!"

A rising sense of dread filled the scientist, and a last spurt of energy got him to the doorway of the room he kept the armor and Jetpacks in. Apart from the one he normally used Lalna had a few others, but none of them worked very well.

He leant on his knees and panted, unable to muster the energy to raise his gun. The familiar pain was crippling his muscles. He had overexerted himself again. He watched through hooded eyes as Sjin pulled on the Jetpack that Lalna favored. His scorched beard still smoked slightly, and he noticed Lalna stooped over in the doorway.

"Uh, Sips!" He shouted behind him. "Better hurry. Goggles here is too tired to do anything right now, but he looks angry!" Sjin turned away from the scientist, strapping some of the buckles on the Jetpack's harness.

Lalna groaned as the agony froze his legs and he fell over. It wasn't a quick jolt of pain, but a slow creeping one, penetrating each fiber of his being before fading away. The pains were definitely getting worse, and this was probably the most horrible possible time for an attack to happen. He could still clearly hear and see everything that happened, albeit from a strange vantage point.

He heard Sips say. "Hey Sjin, look at this one. It has flames on it and everything."

Lalna grinned, though his pain turned it into a fearsome snarl. If Sips used that particular jetpack, Lalna would have some small measure of revenge. Indeed, the pale man strapped into it, and walked over to Sjin, to stand near Lalna.

"Hey, Sjin do you think we should help him or something? I mean, he's not even moving."

Sjin had found the lever on the wall that operated the skylight, high above. "No, don't worry about him." He shot Sips a wicked grin. "Let's fly!"

Sips shrugged and stepped away from Lalna. "Ok. Now how do I start this thing…?" He asked.

"Uh, just press the red button, I think." Sjin replied.

Lalna felt the paralysis start to fade away with the pain, and prepared to leap for Sjin. He decided that the bearded (Well, half bearded now) man irritated him more than Sips did.

Sips continued talking. "Oh, this one righ- AHHHHH! OHHMYYGAWD!"

Sips's jetpack, the cool one with the flame decals on it, had suddenly gone berserk. Lalna had been testing different booster strengths, and that particular jetpack had been upped to maximum power. When Lalna had been testing it earlier, he had forgotten to calibrate it properly, and it leaned a bit to the left. That, coupled with the maximum thrust, made the jetpack corkscrew around uncontrollably. Sips was securely strapped into the jetpack, which had become little more than a bucking bronco made out of metal.

His panicked yells, mixed with a tinge of excitement, flooded the space. Sjin jumped up and grabbed Sips by the ankles, his own jetpack going. Lalna had managed to get to his feet, and in turn, tried to grab Sjin as he began to fly away. His efforts resulted in grabbing Sjin's shoe, and getting lifted several meters into the air. However, he quickly crashed to the ground, still holding the shoe. He landed badly on his ankle, which cracked under his weight. He swore, falling onto his back.

Sips and Sjin made an odd picture as they ascended into the sky. Sips's jetpack still bucked around, but Sjin kept it steadier with his weight. It was Sjin's jetpack that directed where they went. Quickly, Sips turned off his own pack, allowing Sjin's to do all of the work without being dragged all over the place. Through the pain in his ankle, Lalna remembered his laser gun, and emptied the power into the sky, every single one of his shots missing due to his exhausted, shaking hands.

Sips's laughter rang though the distance, and he distinctly heard the pale man yell, "I DID IT!"

Sjin also laughed, and crowed triumphantly.

Lalna watched as they started to swirl around in the sky. His gun emptied, there was not much more he _could_ do. He noticed that the smoke trails began to form letters, and though it was hard to see the vapor against the dark sky, he could make out the words

FUK U

GOGLS

Lalna rolled his eyes. How immature. He could still hear the distant ringing of the other's laughter. He supposed that he should be more upset than he was. After all, two people had busted into his lab, and stolen a few of his most valuable inventions (Even if one of them was a little broken) However, he only felt a bit annoyed, and he realized that it was because of the relief that flooded him. It hadn't been Rythian. He would survive to see another day.

Maybe he could even mess with Sjin sometime, just to see how much the Half-bearded man liked it.

He stood up, his ankle fine. The healing had made short work of it. Lalna surveyed the destruction around him. Display cases had fallen, glass had shattered, and oddly, there seemed to be dirt absolutely _everywhere_. First he pulled the lever that would close the skylight, and ensured that the doors were properly locked. Then he got to work cleaning up the mess, chuckling all the while. Though it hadn't been a great night, it was better than it could have been, and it had been outright absurd, to boot.

Lalna shook his head, and he forgot temporarily the fear that had followed him since Rythian had escaped.

**End of Chapter 35**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 36**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys. I can't believe this is chapter 36. It's a number I really like, and I really like this chapter as well. I've reviewed it tens of times since the first rough draft and it's really evolved quite a lot, and gives a lot to the overall depth of the story. It's really all thanks to your support that I have grown so much as an author, and continue to this day.__Anyway let us proceed to Chapter 36! Enjoy the chapter and have a wonderful day!)_

**_Honeydew's Long Lost Sister- Your comment cracked a smile, I'll admit :D_**

**_SpirtedandLoyal-That was a fantastic mash of words that I understood (mostly XD)_**

**_Finwee Lord of Long Winds- I am very pleased that you are enjoying this, and I hope you like this chapter just as much._**

Parv finally ceased his progress down the road, stopping outside of a rather ordinary little house. He knocked on the door, three sharp raps with his fist, and two slaps with the heel of his hand. Runes around the doorknob glowed briefly, and the lock clicked. Rythian watched with puzzlement, but Parv quickly swept him inside.

"Simple little spell to prevent robbers. It recognizes my hand, and will only open for those I tell it to." He explained.

Rythian looked around the room, and was surprised to see two others present. One man stretched out on a comfortable looking loveseat that sat facing a black box that displayed picture. Rythian could recall seeing one of these machines in the window of a shop in a village he was passing through. It was called a television. The man who watched the television's arm was slung over the arm of the seat, one of his legs on the ground, and the other draped over the other armrest. The contorted position looked oddly comfy. The other stood nearby, holding a bowl and looking into a machine that Rythian recognized as a refrigerator.

"Parv." That one complained "We're out of milk again."

The one who was watching the telly looked up. "Hey Parv." He noticed Rythian. "Who's that?"

Parv ignored his question. "Leo, I told you to get the milk. You wasted it all a few days ago when you were too lazy to wash a bowl. My shoes still don't feel right." He sounded slightly annoyed but more resigned. "Kogie, do you know where Sparkles is?"

Rythian belatedly realized that Leo and Kogie must have been the band members that he and Zoeya hadn't spoken to.

Kogie didn't glance away from the television. "Uh, out with Beckii, I think."

Parv sighed. "Alright, I can manage without him for now" He grabbed a sleek remote that lay on an end table by Kogie's feet, and turned off the television, despite the other man's protests. "Sit up, for Notch sake. Respect our guest"

Leo closed the fridge disappointedly, and began to munch on the cereal in his bowl, making a face at the dry crunch. He looked at Rythian, and his eyes grew wide, taking a deep breath. He began to cough as the dry flakes stuck in his throat. Parv began to laugh as Leo grew red from coughing. Kogie stood from the couch and pounded him heartily on the back. Leo took a gasping breath, immediately speaking.

"Holy crap! Who is he?" Leo spoke as if Rythian wasn't even there, which was quite annoying.

Kogie squinted, and then spoke "His name is Rythian-" He frowned. "And Brother? What?"

Rythian stepped backward, the evident magic afoot making even him uneasy.

"Uh, what's going on here?" he asked. He kept his voice calm, but Parv seemed to sense his apprehension.

"Calm down friend. Listen, I was slightly misleading when I implied that I was the only person who could see auras. All four of us in the band can, in different ways. They're simply seeing your auras, and evidently it shocked them. We can all help to answer your questions."

Rythian looked around at the three men. Leo's eyes were still massive, and he stared at Rythian, who noticed that his gaze was somewhat distant. Kogie still stared intently _through _him.

Parv spoke sharply at them "C'mon guys, you're scaring him. Let's explain ourselves before he freaks out."

They both snapped out of their odd trances, blinking rapidly. Something about them made Rythian feel odd. Scared wasn't the right word. Intimidated was closer, but not in the way that implied that he feared them. It was more that he felt very out of his depth suddenly.

Leo was the first to apologize. "Right, uh, sorry mate. I'm Leo, and I can see the future." He held out his hand awkwardly, and Rythian just stared incredulously at it.

"What?" Leo asked, and then he raised his eyebrows. "Everyone hates the prophet." He deadpanned.

Rythian got past his shock. "No, no. I was just confused. Seeing the future isn't really something I thought people could do. Parv said that people can't do strong magic anymore. That's why I came to ask…some questions."

Leo chuckled. "I can't do magic. Parv really is the only one of us who can. Seeing auras isn't the same thing as magic. And future really isn't the right word. I just get a sort of sense of what's in store for a particular person, if I'm lucky. I usually just get a meaningless flash of them sleeping or something. Most people just aren't that interesting, and I try to tune it out. If I concentrate I can get a little more. I told Parv that someone was going to be looking in the park for him. I didn't know who or anything, but I suppose that it was you, right?"

Rythian nodded, "So you can't see a huge tapestry of the future or anything?"

Leo shook his head. "Do I look like a god to you? Anyone that powerful wouldn't be mortal."

Rythian bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't believe in the gods that people often spoke of. He was sure that if they existed, they would have stopped Lalna and his horrible experiments.

Kogie spoke next. "Well, I can't see the future, but I can read minds."

He rushed on after seeing the look Rythian had in his dark eyes. "Not like you think! You seem to assume that we're ultra powerful or something. We don't have magic, just the little ability to see things that others can't. I can get the most basic information if I concentrate on their aura. I can see their current thought if it's urgent or thought 'loudly'. With their agreement, I can delve a bit deeper to see more of their past. That's the only reason I knew your name." He pressed his lips together. "Names" He corrected himself. "What's that about, anyway?"

Rythian managed to avoid answering by turning to ask Parv a question.

"So, they can read minds and see the future. What exactly can you do?"

Parv grinned. "Well Rythian, it's a bit harder to answer that, because it doesn't fit cleanly into a category like theirs. Mine is more of a knowledge thing. I can tell at a glance if someone can do magic, and how powerful they are. With some tests and whatnot, I can learn more about their particular powers. I've spent a good deal of my life learning as much about every sort of magic as I could, but old texts and artifacts are not cheap. Before I joined the band, I ran a shop performing magical affinity tests and selling magical supplies such as wands, rings and such to pay for my expensive hobby. If someone thought they might be a mage, they came to me, and for a price I told them if they were, and how to better harness their Energy. I still have quite the surplus of magic supplies, but you never know quite when they'll come in handy."

Parv glanced around the room. Bins of dusty relics and shelves of aged tomes lined the walls. "I still do perform the tests sometimes, but I'm usually too busy with Area 11." He eyed his guitar, which he had but on the table. "Anyway, Leo and Kogie visited my shop together, wanting to know if their visions were magic. It took a lot of tests-"

Kogie laughed. "We were there for three days straight!"

Parv ignored him. "-But I eventually concluded that their sights were not magical, but a strange and rare mental ability, one I had only learned about through fleeting accounts in half-ruined books. My eyes now opened to this possibility, I soon gathered that my unique talent was of the same sort. Given the exciting nature of the discovery, I insisted that we kept in contact. About a year later, they told me that they had met another who they believed could see auras, and that he wanted to meet me. Needless to say I was very excited. Without a second thought, I closed shop and went to visit them here in Mistral City. The one that wished to meet me was Sparkles. The kinds of auras he can see just tell him someone's basic nature and a little about their relationships. That's probably why he choose to speak with you and Zoeya yesterday. He must have sensed that you two were good people. I'm not sure how it happened, but when I met Sparkles for the first time, he convinced me to close my shop and form a band with himself, Leo and Kogie." He grinned.

"It sounds absurd, but I haven't regretted it."

Rythian smiled, forgetting that they couldn't see it. He filled the lull in the fairly one-sided conversation by explaining the reason he was there.

"I suppose I would like to know more of my magic. Would you mind running a few of those tests?"

Parv's seemingly permanent smile widened. As he spoke, he began rushing about the room, gathering various items. "Sure! I'll be honest. When I first saw your aura, I was surprised, because it's much more vibrant than any other I've seen before. And the fact that Zoeya is developing Power of her own is fascinating." The wiry mage slowed in his scurrying around, and caught Rythian with an inquisitive look.

"You can Bare-Hand cast, can't you?"

Rythian hesitated for a beat before he slowly nodded.

Parv's eyes widened, but he looked away as he carefully arranged the items on the dining table, putting his guitar into a case by the blank television. Leo and Kogie were somberly silent, still except for Leo quickly putting out the light. It wasn't completely dark, because soft light streamed through the light curtains on the windows. If Parv was disturbed by the glow from Rythian's eyes, he didn't let it show. Instead he lit a candle and sat on one side of the table, gesturing for Rythian to do the same opposite him. As Rythian sat, heedful of his cape, he looked at the items that had been put out. There were many small samples of minerals, including rare metals, and to his surprise, a tiny flawless diamond. There were cuttings from different plants, a bone, a black substance that smelled of sulfur, small vials of green slime and orange cream, a jar with a preserved brain in it, and at the end of the row, a glittering green orb. Rythian recognized it as the same type of orb he had collected from the first Enderman he had fought. He had long ago disposed of his, unthinkingly tossing it from his pack when making space for something else.

Parv looked at Rythian intently. "Alright, this test should decide what your affinity is to. This is really just the beginning, because everyone, magical or not, has an affinity. I've sorted the possibilities from most common to rarest. We'll start at the common side, and work towards the rarer ones. You just have to pick up the objects, and something will happen when we get to the right one."

Rythian nodded.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy as his hand hovered over the first object, a bit of powdered Redstone. Nothing happened, and Parv nodded.

"I figured not. You didn't strike me as a Redstone wizard."

Rythian nodded again, and placed a finger on the next thing, an iron ingot. The metal was cool and smooth to the touch, and nothing happened. Next was a bit of gold, and when that yielded nothing, he picked up the tiny diamond.

"Wait a sec." Parv muttered. He concentrated for a moment, drawing a swirling symbol in the air with his hand. "Never mind. The diamond reacted a little with your aura, but it's not your affinity. Keep going."

Next were the bits of plant life. He got through most of them before Parv stopped him on an oak sapling, but it was again a false alarm. Curiosity burned in the scruffy mage's eyes.

"Ok, next are the rarest sort, which are mob affinities. This goes a little differently. You have to hold the object or vial or jar until I tell you to stop. It usually takes longer for the aura to react, unless the affinity is very strong."

Rythian held the bone, and Parv shook his head. The black powder, the vials, and the jar with the brain all yielded the same reaction. Rythian paused before the last object, the green orb. Parv's voice was strained as he tried to keep his excitement from it.

"Go on. Pick it up"

Rythian gently grabbed the orb, and cupped it in his palm. It didn't burn him like the other had done. Instead, the candle-flame that lit the table grew taller, and began to have a strange shape, with licks of purple flame within it. A curving river of power began to seep from the orb and surrounded Rythian's hand, dividing up and encircling it in a graceful pattern. Wind whipped through the air, sending spare bits of paper flying.

"Put it down, Rythian." Parv's voice was low and urgent.

Rythian stared at the orb for a moment longer, and then let it slide between his fingers. The flow of power vanished, the air stilled, and the candle returned to normal. Parv regarded him with wide eyes. Behind him, he could hear Leo and Kogie whispering.

"What's that mean? What's that look for?" Rythian asked.

Parv gaped for a moment more, before faintly responding. "Enderborn. But… how? I've never heard of one actually existing…"

Rythian sighed, thoughts flashing back to the lab, how Lalna had somehow made him part Enderman. Though it granted him these powers, he hated it more every day.

Behind him, Kogie asked, "Who's Lalna?"

Rythian turned, scrabbling for an answer that wouldn't reveal his entire past. Brother was beyond panicked. _"This was a bad idea!" _he wailed _"Now they know who we are! Or they will soon! What if they go to Lalna?" _Rythian clenched his jaw, turning to the two men behind him.

Leo was staring into the distance, absent to everything happening around him. Rythian vaguely wondered what he was seeing. Kogie had also gone slightly vacant-eyed, but snapped out of it quickly.

His tone was normal, not angry or unsteady at all. "When you think, you scream." He remarked.

Rythian wondered at what he said, until Brother spoke again. _"Wait, can you hear me?"_

Kogie started, looking around "Who said that?" He demanded. His gaze landed on Rythian. "Do you have something you need to tell us?" His tone was less threatening than bewildered. "I just heard you speak, directly to me, in my head."

Parv got up. "I didn't hear anything, so it must be because of your ability. But you can't hear direct thoughts."

Kogie shook his head. "It wasn't a thought. It was a voice, clear as day."

Leo suddenly shuddered, and his eyes cleared. "Your future… it's so cloudy and clear at the same time. I've never seen that much before! Am I getting stronger or…?"

Parv shook his head. "I don't think so. I saw something special in Rythian's aura, and he can Bare-Hand cast, the first mage known to be able to do so for at least a century. Then we find out that he's Enderborn, and Kogie can hear a voice in Rythian's head. I think it's something special about Rythian, not us." He now spoke directly to the Enderborn "Rythian, it's your choice, but I feel like we could help to explain more about the magic if we knew some of your story. Why did you come to Mistral City?"

Rythian's eyes darted around, judging the pros and cons of telling them. They seemed trust-worthy enough, so if he swore them to secrecy perhaps it would be safe to tell them of his past. Hadn't Kaeyi told him months ago that a mage would always help another mage? So maybe he could tell them how he had fled from-

"He ran from Lalna's lab, because he didn't kill the scientist upon escaping, and feared being followed. Xephos and Honeydew nearly discovered him, but he managed to get away from them with Zoeya"

Kogie offered Rythian an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I don't know who those people are, apart from Zoeya, only from what Parv told us of yesterday. But when you thought of it just now, I was able to hear it. It's like my mind is attuned to yours suddenly."

Rythian frowned worriedly, but he decided to trust these people. He didn't have much of a choice with Kogie's mind reading anyway.

"Alright," he said grudgingly. "The first thing I can remember is…"

**End of Chapter 36**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 37**

_(Author's Note-Hey guys! Last chapter was pretty fun, and this one even more so. I love A11, and mentioning them so briefly earlier felt like a crime, so two chapters with them as central characters made me pretty happy. You may have noticed that the story has a different cover picture now. I drew it on a whim, and then made a few simple edits in MS paint so let me know if it's any good! Enjoy the chapter, don't forget to review (if you are so inclined) and have a wonderful day!)_

The band members of Area 11 listened respectfully as Rythian told his story. Though parts of it were horrifying, and others tragic, the listeners never interrupted, letting the Enderborn repeat his tale in his own time. He carefully explained all he could remember of Lalna's lab, and of his escape, concentrating on the way his powers had come to him. He shared his experiences learning about the capabilities of his power, and tried his best to explain his two-mindedness.

Kogie had no trouble understanding how Rythian and Brother were more than two sides of one person; that they were two different people altogether. The other two were a little more confused, but grasped it in the end. Rythian told how he could hear the Endermen when they were near, how they seemed to follow him, as well as his suspicions that he had Enderman blood in his veins. He left out the confused feelings he had for Zoeya, and didn't mention Israphel at all. He figured that the youth's secrets were not his to share. Rythian didn't know if Kogie picked up on the things he omitted, but either way, the mind reader didn't speak up.

Rythian was grateful for that. He trusted these people, but he needed his small shield of secrecy. It was as much a habit as an actual defensive measure. For so long he had dared not tell anyone about himself, so to share his entire past now went against every grain of his body. Still, if he wished to learn more about the magic, it was necessary.

"And, so seeking to learn more of my power, I sought out the only other mage I knew lived in the city. And that is how I came to be here" he concluded.

He had been speaking for a half hour and his throat was scratchy and dry. Everyone sat in silence for a moment, and then Leo leaned forward. They all sat at the table, the affinity-testing materials still piled in the middle.

"Well, as I'm sure you have guessed based on what we said earlier, you are an Enderborn." Leo said.

Rythian frowned. "Right, I do remember that. Why is it so significant?"

Leo smiled. "Well, Parv can probably explain it better that I can, but I do know a fair bit about it. Parv is _always _on about some kind of magic or another." He elbowed his slightly shorter friend playfully. Parv was about to retort, but Leo quickly spoke up again.

"Ender magic is just really powerful. It is the most versatile of powers, while also being the most difficult to control. The more powerful magic is, the more it tends to try and slip away. The stronger the Energy, the harder it tries to leave. Besides that, Ender magic is also very rare. As far as I know, there has only been one Endermage in all of history." He paused, "Well, two now."

Parv nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Actually, I'll explain the way magic 'slips away', as Leo put it. It is a very complicated subject, which even I am still not fully learned in. The technical term is 'Essence dispersal'. Basically, the force that you pull on to cast spells is a pocket of Energy trapped inside of you that has connections to everything around. If you don't know how to control this energy, and attempt a complicated spell, the trapped Energy will take the opportunity to escape, imbuing a nearby object or being with your Power. Some mages use a similar concept to enchant objects, though the method is not quite the same. The more powerful the Energy itself it, the more likely this dispersal is to happen. In your case Rythian, you are simply so powerful that you don't necessarily need to cast your Power for this to happen. It makes it more likely, yes, but being around you for an extended time can also distribute your powers. Luckily for you, your individual Power can regenerate, so you won't lose it all by casting spells. What's more worrying is the effect your magic leakage might have on others"

Rythian looked at his hands, imagining a stream of Energy leaving them. "How can it affect other people?"

Parv's face grew somber, losing the smile that usually resided there. "There aren't many of them, but there exists people who cannot internally handle magic at all. It rips them apart, destroying them within a few hours. Dying that way is said to be the most painful experience there is. You mentioned twelve-hour pains that you have always had ever since your…uh, birth, right? They knock you out?"

Rythian nodded. "Yes, but I always quickly awake from the unconsciousness, and now this charm that Kaeyi gave me stops the pain." He had explained where he had gotten the amulet during his earlier speech "It's really just like falling asleep."

Parv's face grew grimmer. "Rythian, I think that you are unable to actually contain the magic yourself. You are one of the few in the entire world who cannot handle magic's presence. You must have gotten it from somewhere, but until you figure out your exact ancestry, that is, what DNA forms you, you cannot know what part of it gave you the intolerance. I think that the reason that you survive the fits is the healing that you described when you shared your story."

Rythian sighed "I had hoped to find a cure."

Parv shook his head sadly. "I am no expert in magic, it's just a hobby. However, I do know that with something as complicated and delicate as a DNA condition, there can be no simple magical cure. I know even less of science, perhaps your answer lies in that?"

Parv stroked his scruffy beard thoughtfully. "That charm is the best you can do for now, unless you could find a way to cast a spell that would remove the part of the DNA the causes it. But I warn you that something of that magnitude would be impossibly dangerous. You would have to unmake yourself, and then remake yourself without the DNA. Again, until you know your ancestry, I wouldn't even consider trying this. It may destroy the entire human part of you."

Rythian's shoulders slumped. "I can't risk it. I won't become one of those disgusting monsters."

Parv watched the Endermage thoughtfully for a moment. "I'm very sorry ab-"

Rythian looked up. "No, it's not your fault. Just tell me some more about magic."

Parv nodded. "There are four main types of magic. Though they all use the same sort of energy inside, each type takes different rituals and degrees of skill and power. Some of them require outside help, from animals, potions, or even spirits. The first type though, does not need any such aid. It is the type of magic that you can do, called Bare-Hand casting. It is generally regarded as the most difficult and dangerous magic, as well as the strongest. In more technical terms, any Bare-Hand caster uses 'Soul Magic'. Simply put, it means that all of the actual shaping of the spell is done inside, without words or a channeling object, like a wand or staff. Bare-Hand casters nearly always have a mob affinity, as they tend to be the most powerful. As a result of this superior power, Bare-Hand casters also tend to accidently disperse their essence much more often than other types of mages. This made them feared in the past, at least according to legend. A long time ago, only a few people could handle magic. When a powerful Bare-Hand mage was born, many people would sicken and die as a result of magical intolerance, and the baby was often killed or abandoned. The fear and misunderstanding lead to a dark age that only lifted with the formation of the Skylords. Today, the Skylords are mostly the sons and the occasional daughter of the rich upper-class, but back then they were a mixture of mages and knights. The mages then made many magical breakthroughs, protected from their previous persecution."

"I saw some Skylords earlier today, actually. They didn't seem to be mages." Rythian figured that they would've sensed his spying if they were magical. He noticed that Leo and Kogie had left the house. Enthralled in the conversation, he hadn't before realized their absence.

Parv shook his head. "No, today there aren't many powerful Mages. The only one of notable strength in this entire city has stayed within his tower for the last decade. Occasionally we hear explosions. And yells. Anyway, the next type of magic is 'Rune Magic'. It's the type that I can control. It's pretty simple, but requires great concentration and diligence. Basically, I read lots of books, and learn the symbols that have been passed down for generations. Then, I have to write 'sentences' with the runes, detailing what I wish to happen. Only those who study extensively and have Power within them can write the runes, let alone get the verbs right"

He smiled sheepishly. "I still get my conjugations wrong on occasion. You could probably learn the runes, but it takes years of being a scholar to even complete simple tasks. The third sort of magic is Nature Magic. This is the simplest type of magic, and by far the most common. Many people possess it, without even knowing of their powers. It might be something as simple as a remarkably green thumb. However, it has broader uses, such as potion making and amulet crafting. Generally, people regarded as hedge-witches use Nature Magic. The most powerful way that nature magic has shown itself was in a population that had been isolated from all of the rest of the world. Over many generations, they became very powerful, but not in a way that they could actively use. Rather, any tree or plant near them grew exponentially, and they developed empathy links with the forest that they lived in. The Skylords and the Tree-People fought each other in a bloody struggle called "The Great Tree War'."

Rythian remembered the Skylords he had spied on yesterday mentioning the war, and nodded to himself as Parv continued speaking. "How the end of the war came about is unclear, but some legends say that a super powerful deity the Tree-People worshiped called "The One' came to stop the fighting, and then vanished. More likely it was a potent mage, but not many clear records exist about that time in history, so I am left to speculate."

Rythian realized that Martyn and Toby must have been Tree-People, as they thought he was the reincarnation of The One.

Parv lowered his voice to a whisper, and Rythian leaned in to hear him better. "The final kind of magic is one that cannot be taken lightly, no matter how innocent it first appears to be. It is known as sorcery. Though the word 'sorcery' can be taken to mean any sort of magic, it is actually descriptive of only one. Again, there are different branches of magic under the name of sorcery, including summoning personal spirits and creatures of the night, or even raising the dead."

The air seemed to grow colder.

"Sorcery is regarded to be the darkest of the four types of magic. No type of magic was barred outright from general education by the panels of Skylord head mages that used to regulate magic use, but sorcery came close. It had the most regulations on it, and for good reason. The main part of being a sorcerer is summoning and then controlling spirits. Summoning spirits is easy enough, and I'm sure that if you or I were to attempt it, we would have no issue. The trouble starts when you have the spirit, or minor demon, and then have to control it. Not all spirits are malicious, but the benign ones don't show up for anyone besides those most skilled and practiced. Generally, it's the power-hungry ones that appear, and if the sorcerer lacks the strength to subdue them, the spirit will possess them. Unwary novices are nearly always the victims."

Parv closed his eyes, as though trying to remember something. "Once a spirit has taken hold of a body, it is loath to let it go. The possessed body becomes stronger, faster, and better at channeling magic. Since the spirits are twisted and evil, such a creature can cause great damage. Sometimes, though this is more legend than actual proof, an especially strong demon will try and trick someone into preparing themselves for possession, often taking a human form and offering to be a teacher. The strongest demons can't ordinarily possess a mortal body, unless special measures are taken. The body would be destroyed. The fact that the preparations are needed makes it so that only those who are easily mislead or those who actually wish to be possessed can be used by the demon."

Rythian's eyes widened. "People actually _want_ to be possessed?"

Parv grinned darkly, "Sometimes, sorcerers become overly ambitious. No longer content with the restrictions of rituals, they want to become stronger than a mortal body can bear. They invite the demons or wraiths that seek a physical form, and are possessed. These are the most dangerous sort, driven mad by their desire for power. However, like all other powerful Mages, no strong sorcerers have been seen in well over a century. Everything I know of the subject came from old, musty books."

Rythian nodded. "Thank you for explaining these things to me Parv. But, I still haven't quite gotten my question answered. How can I control my power with greater skill? I tried a spell earlier, and it left me incredibly weak."

Parv listened, head resting lightly on one hand. He didn't move as he talked. "Well, for Bare-Hand casting, self control is key. I don't know how else to help you beyond that. You will get better with practice, and by observing the way that your Power responds to your commands. Actually, I would recommend perhaps trying some of the other categories of magic. Anyone gifted with Powers can do any of the types of magic, but it can be difficult to do things that are not within your primary type. Your Energy is not accustomed to, say, writing runes, but excels at Bare-Hand casting. With enough practice you can learn runes though, thanks to the strength of your Power. Someone like me is a bit more limited, because I simply don't have as strong or as much Energy in my body. You have much more, so can handle the more difficult types of magic, like Bare-hand casting, as well as the simpler ones, like potion brewing or charm making. I still cannot Bare-hand cast, though I have been trying for years." A peculiar tone of regret tinged his voice.

He sat of straighter and seemed to concentrate on his hand for a moment, the strain evident on his face. A grey glow started to rise from his palm, but collapsed and vanished as Parv exhaled noisily.

"Every time, I am sure that I will do it…" He whispered.

He looked up with a start, "Right, well I have one last trick to show you. Well, I can't really show you, as I cannot control my power precisely enough, but I can explain it. Mages of great power can reach out to other minds. I have not found much explanation in any of my studies, but the little evidence I have seen suggests that physical contact makes the flow of Energy easier, but that with enough discipline and practice, mages can touch minds from great distances. A mage must initiate the contact, but anyone else can be involved, magic using or not. For you to do this with another mage, you would have to send the flow of your power into their mind, and them to you. Once there, you could speak or help each other with complicated spells. However you must be careful not to become lost in the other person's mind. I read one account of a Skylord mage who delved too deeply into another's mind. He became trapped there, enraptured by the mysterious, surreal workings of the human mind, and forgot who he was. The other mage was just as stuck, and both died after a time, unknowing of anything but their minds, uncaring that their physical bodies slowly expired of neglect. Others tried to help separate them, but nothing they could do could save them. It's dangerous, so if you attempt it, don't get lost." Parv smiled, and it seemed odd in the midst of such a serious conversation.

Rythian sensed that the time to leave grew near. "Thank you, Parv, for showing me and telling me all of these things. I'm sure that it will be invaluable as I try to become stronger and more able."

Parv bowed his head, accepting the thanks. The rune-mage looked up, a bright glint in his eye. He sounded slightly nervous.

"Uh, Rythian, Do you think that you could show me what Bare-Hand casting looks like? I've seen diagrams, and drawings, and I've read countless articles and accounts, but I have never seen it before…" Parv's voice was wistful.

"Sure, I guess."

Rythian stood up, holding out his hand for Parv to see. "What do you want me to do?"

Parv looked stumped. "Um, just whatever you normally do, I guess."

Parv stood to see better, excitement drumming in his belly. Rythian couldn't help a bit of dramatic flair, and he pushed a bit of force gently away from him, making his cape ripple though he was indoors and there was no wind. He knew that his dark eyes were glowing brightly by now. He made a sleeve of strong violet flames flare up, starting halfway down his lower arms, and culminating in a blazing ball of deep purple fire in each of his hands, so dark it was almost black.

Rythian laughed; exhilarated as he always was when he used his power. A pool of dangerous light shone from his eyes, and the same light began to rise from around him; a halo of hellish radiance. Without intending it, he drifted upwards a few inches. This was not missed by Parv, who watched with fascination and exciting fear.

Rythian abruptly cut off the flow of power, and fell back to the ground, landing noiselessly on the balls of his feet. His cape rippled quietly, still feeling the last vestiges of the artificial wind. The room seemed suddenly empty and silent without the fire.

A low whistle sounded behind him. Rythian turned agilely, looking at the doorway. It was open, and Kogie, Leo, and Sparkles stood there. Leo held a bottle of milk. Sparkles was the one who had whistled.

"Wow. So is that the Bare-Hand casting you always talk about, Parv?" the copper-haired man asked.

Parv seemed unable to speak. "Not quite what I expected, but yes." He choked out.

Rythian looked at him strangely. "What's wrong?" the Enderborn asked. Parv beheld him with wide eyes. "It's… more than I thought it would be. None of my books mentioned glowing, wind or floating."

Rythian smiled, his mask moving slightly. "I don't think that it's part of Bare-Hand casting. I just get a little…carried away. It's exhilarating, you know?"

Parv grinned. "No, I don't, but I'll take your word for it. Here, take these-" He pulled something out of his pocket and deposited a few roughly made, plain iron bands into Rythian's palm.

"Send your power into them, while thinking very clearly about what you want the rings to be able to do. These can't hold much power, but it should be sufficient for something simple. Just practice a bit, and learn as you go. We're all leaving on another tour the day after tomorrow, so I won't be able to help you. Just keep experimenting, but be careful as you do it."

Rythian nodded. "Thank you, and goodbye, Parv." He nodded to the Rune-Mage, and also bid his farewells to the others.

Sparkles spoke up "Why don't you stay for dinner? It's getting late."

Rythian's thoughts flashed to Zoeya. Kogie smirked, and nudged Sparkles, who cocked his head to the side.

"Oh…" the copper haired singer breathed. "Never mind about the dinner, and best of luck with all of that. I hope she realizes…"

The other two gave Sparkles and Kogie an odd look.

"Who's 'She'? What are you talking about?" Parv asked. Sparkles discreetly winked at Rythian, who stared back with wide eyes.

"Nothing, guys. Don't worry about it." The singer said with a light smile on his face.

Rythian shook his head, amazed and relieved, and was about to take his leave when, Leo grasped his arm as he walked by.

"Listen, I can't see it clearly, but I know that you are training someone, or will soon. Just, take a look at whoever it is… they might be dangerous, and you don't see it yet." He spoke rapidly, and quietly, so that none of the others could hear him. They were busy setting up a game on the television anyway.

"I don't know who it is, but someone you closely associate with will be your downfall. Something about you is just _important _in a way I can't really describe. Just keep safe, ok?"

Rythian removed his arm from the Seer's grasp. "Yeah, alright." He replied uncertainly.

He quickly took his departure, walking swiftly up the street in the fading light. He didn't know what to make out of Leo's warning, and he turned his mind to other matters.

The members of the band certainly were interesting, and he was glad that he had taken the time to learn from them, even though he had to reveal his past to them. It really would be impossible to keep a secret around those guys, anyway. Kogie had even heard his thought about Zoeya just before he left, and Sparkles must have seen their relationship, or rather, what Rythian thought of her. With their collective abilities and Parv's magic, they could be potentially dangerous. He didn't feel like they were a danger to himself or Zoeya, be he didn't want to cross them accidently. One enemy was enough.

Speaking of Zoeya, he had to meet her in the park soon. He thought about all he had told the members of Area 11. With the exception of Sparkles, they all knew his complete life story, and he had only known them for a bit more than a day. He had known Zoeya for more than three months, and she still knew little more than nothing. Since it seemed to be a day for sharing secrets, he resolved to tell her his. He also thought about the metal rings that Parv had given him. If Zoeya had Power within her, as Parv had said, then maybe Rythian could teach her to use it.

Brother pressed for control, and Rythian relinquished it, but both still worked together to make plans for training Zoeya. Starting with the rings would be the easiest thing to do.

She was already at the meeting point when he arrived. She jumped up when she saw him separate from the shadows and start towards her.

"Rythian! You'll never believe it! I found the best little place for us to stay! Quick, follow me!" She started to hurry off, but Rythian stood still, and she stopped to look back at him. "Rythian, what's wrong?"

He sighed, and his mask billowed out slightly. "I think that it's about time I told you my past." He replied slowly.

Zoeya's breath caught. Was he really going to finally divulge his secrets? Did he trust her enough? She smiled, weighing her words carefully.

"I would like that."

* * *

They walked slowly, Rythian explaining both his past, and the new things about magic he had learned. He showed her the rings, and told her his intentions to teach her to use the magic that she had obtained just from being near him. While he wanted to come completely clean about his past, he did withhold a few things, such as the fits he now knew were caused by his body rejecting the magic. He didn't want to worry her, as they didn't bother him all that much anymore, with the pain-blocking amulet. He also omitted the existence of his scars, feeling oddly self-conscious. He had finished his tale by the time they stood outside of a three-story building.

Zoeya took out a key and led the way, walking inside of the building and up a few flights of stairs. She used the key to unlock a door. The lock clicked, and the door swung open with a faint squeak. Rythian lit a lantern that hung on the wall just inside of the door, and looked around at the space.

The first room that the door opened into was a small, but functional living room, with a couch, a few tables, and a burgundy shag carpet. He could see into a kitchen, which seemed to be fully furnished. Two doorways lead off into other rooms, but Rythian couldn't see what those rooms look like.

"Well, what do you think?" Zoeya asked.

Rythian's eyes darted about the small space, and he spoke "It's perfect. I can't think of a place I would rather be."

Zoeya smiled widely, and then yawned. "Uh, well, your bedroom is down that hall to the left, and mine's to the right. I already ate when I was waiting, and I'm tired, so I'll go to bed now. There is some food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

She turned, and walked down the hall, and Rythian heard a door shut. He suddenly felt tired as well, and a familiar prickling at the back of his skull reminded him what time it was. Before it could grow painful, he hurried down the hall to his new room and lay on the bed. He held the amulet given to him by Kaeyi, and felt as the jagged bolts of the beginning agony softened into no more than curious pressure. He closed his eyes and felt the heavy weight settle on his chest, sending him into oblivion.

In the other bedroom, Zoeya lay wide awake for several hours. She didn't know why she couldn't sleep. She was certainly tired enough, running about the city all day looking for an apartment like this one. Eventually, she placed her finger on the problem. She missed Rythian's steady breathing. She had fallen asleep every night for the past few months listening to it, and now that it was gone, she felt as though something was missing. She turned over, clenching her eyes shut in the hope that she would somehow be able to sleep. A weird feeling tightened her stomach. Was it yearning?

Disturbed, she put the thought out of her mind, and eventually drifted off, though her sleep was fitful and troubled.

Her dreams were filled with the Endermage.

**End of Chapter 37**


	37. Chapter 37

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! Some of you may know this already, but I wanted to let you know that I'm rewriting some of the story. I was reading the earlier chapters and I was a little surprised by how far I've come. I'm posting the revised chapters here and also on Wattpad, which I'm still learning how to use. So far I've revised the first 5 chapters, and replaced them here. I'm also titling as I go, because I figured why not. The chapters with titles have been revised. So yeah, if you want to find me on Wattpad, I'm using the same author name. I'll probably revise and republish a lot of my stuff there, not sure yet. Anyway, without further ado, because I tend to ramble quite a lot, enjoy the chapter (and the new ones :D) and have a wonderful day! ~Mage)_

**Chapter 38**

For Zoeya and Rythian, the next week seemed to fly by. Rythian would leave in the morning to teach Israphel, and then return for an afternoon job working in the tavern run by Granny Bacon. In the evenings, he would teach Zoeya. She was very eager to learn, and quickly became quite skilled at imbuing rings with power. However, no matter how much she exerted herself, anything resembling Bare-Hand casting remained stubbornly out of her reach. Rythian tried to find new ways to teach her to use her powers, as rings had limited uses. They could only focus a certain amount of power until _even more _complicated spells had to be cast for the rings to absorb more power. Bare-Hand casting was far more useful.

He had been toying with teaching Israphel how to bind power to rings. It was simple enough, and well within the youth's rapidly increasing abilities. However, he had disregarded the notion, for the time being at least.

Israphel had been… odd, lately.

His eyes were quick and darting. His reflexes and sheer strength had increased also. Rythian keep recalling Leo's warning that someone he taught, someone close to him, would be his downfall. He pondered the ominous foretelling as he headed towards the edge of the city. He played around with his Power as he made his way to the gate.

Since he had made himself invisible to spy on the two Skylord lovers, the thought of vanishing appealed to him increasingly. He could go entirely invisible like he had last time without quite as much effort now that he knew how the Energy had to be shaped. The Magic was still quite draining however and he had found other, easier spells. His favorite was stepping into a patch of dark shadows and forming a faint shimmer in the air around him, which blended the colors of his clothes and the color of the surface behind him. It wasn't invisibility, per se, but it was still cool and very useful. When he emerged from the shadows, anyone who suddenly saw him appear would assume that he had simply been covered by darkness not any magical power, and when he was in the shadows none could see him. Still, he was careful about it. It made no sense to needlessly risk himself.

He soon got to the gate. "Hello Rythian." The gatekeeper greeted, recognizing the everyday traveler.

"Hey Jas, how's school going?"

"Same old, same old. It sucks really. There are other places I could be, but naturally I get Gate Duty more than any other single Skylord student EVER." Jasper, less grumpy now that Rythian had gotten to know him, sighed exasperatedly.

Rythian grinned. "You say that every day. What sort of places?" He finished signing his name on the record sheet with a flourish.

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you'll tell me where you go every morning? Then I _might _tell you where I'd rather be…"

Rythian chuckled and shook his head. "Ha, funny. Well, I'd better be off. See ya in a few hours." It was practically their daily routine. Rythian and Jasper had started to speak every morning when Rythian passed through the gate on his way to tutor Israphel. Upon getting to know him, Rythian had realized that Jasper wasn't grumpy, just discontent with his lot in life. He didn't even really want to be a Skylord.

Rythian soon left the city behind, practicing his magic more openly now. If he saw a wagon or something, he would stop until they were out of eyeshot. The day before, he had actually spotted Lomadia and Nilesy. He hardly recognized them. They were different for their time on the trail. The owl was what had tipped him off. Rythian had stayed out of view when they passed, hastily putting up one of his camouflage spells as he hid in a grassy ditch. They hadn't seen him, and he was glad for it, for he didn't know what Xephos or Honeydew had told them. He regarded them as friends, because they had taken the time to ascertain his safety, and had even offered to let him travel with them.

He had ruined it by running away, but he couldn't be blamed for trying to save his skin. He didn't want to know their opinion of him now.

Before long, he tired of walking, and took out his prize possession. After he had practiced with the iron bands that Parv had given him, he had bought a few more rings, all of them better for channeling magic than the simple, rough bands. The one he took out now was made of silver, with a graceful net that held a roughly hewn gemstone. The physical appearance of the stone didn't matter, as long as there was a good gem within it. Zoeya had a similar ring, though the colors of the stones were different. When they had filled them with Powers, and a Command, the gems had changed from a motley clear to a many toned violet for Rythian, and warm amber for Zoeya. Clearly, it was reflective of the color of their power.

He had been very precise when crafting this particular ring, because its failure meant certain death. Well, perhaps not, with his healing and everything, but it would still be tremendously unpleasant for him, and still fatal for Zoeya. These rings allowed him to fly. Zoeya had one also, but she didn't make often use of it, as it would be noticeable in the city. Only the Skylords were permitted to fly, and they used massive, loud machines, not subtle magic. None of the few mages among them could handle it anyway. One other thing prevented Zoeya from using the ring; her lesser power. Rythian could tell that her Energy grew stronger by the day, but even with the rings to direct the power, she couldn't sustain it for long. It was simply too much of a drain. Rythian figured that she would be able to better handle it soon, but until then it would require lots of practice.

He invoked the ring, and it began to thrum with a soft pulse. He allowed it to pull from his cache of Energy, and he drifted above the ground. He was far above the forest, around the same height as the sky walkways within Mistral City. He leaned downwards, and flew to hover among the tree-tops. In only a few minutes he found the place he generally met with Israphel. What would have been at least a two hour walk became a five minute flight.

The youth was already there when Rythian arrived, which was slightly surprising. He didn't know how to fly for travel yet, so he must have left before sunup. His back was to Rythian, and he was intently studying something on the ground. He turned to flash Rythian a smile, white teeth on pale skin. His eyes stood out like blood on a field of snow.

"Good morning, Master Rythian!" he exclaimed. "Quick, come look at what I can do!"

Rythian walked over to the youth, who sat on the tree stump. He saw what Israphel was looking at. A pink fledgling laid sickeningly still on the ground, with its neck twisted at an angle. The hatchling must have fallen out of its nest, and died upon hitting the ground. Despite the sadness of the image, Israphel seemed jubilant.

"What's going on?" Rythian asked, a sick feeling in his stomach as he looked at the still baby bird.

Israphel's grin grew wider. "Just watch…."

He narrowed his eyes, pale mist streaming from his fingers. A thin tendril of fog separated from the rest and a fork of red lightning flew through it, hitting the corpse of the baby bird. The bird's pastel lilac eyelids cracked, showing dull, dead eyes. It clacked its beak a few times, uttering a soft cry. It stood on its thin, broken legs, heedless of any pain that would've caused. The cry grew shrill, and the bird began to shake. It looked like a marionette on loose strings, controlled by a mad puppeteer. It collapsed to the ground, its tiny chest heaving, and its legs kicking feebly.

Rythian found his voice. "Stop it Israphel. Stop now."

The youth frowned, but did as he was told. A small bit of fog seeped from the hatchling's cracked beak and dissipated in the air. It grew still and cold once more. Rythian looked at the creature with pity filled eyes. The way it had shook…

"Don't bring the dead back Israphel. They aren't meant for this world anymore." His voice was faint.

The bird, though small and seemingly insignificant, had felt the pain that Rythian felt every twelve hours. It was truly not meant to be alive, and its body rejected the foreign Magic as much as Rythian's did to his own.

Israphel looked angry. "Master, I mean no disrespect, but I don't understand how you've acted the past few days. You know that I can handle stronger magic, but you don't show me anything more complex than lighting a fire. You flew here today, but I'm sure you won't teach me that either! Can't you understand that I'm just as powerful as you? I'm no mere child to be protected!"

Several birds took flight from the upper branches of the trees around at his outburst, and once their startled wing beats had faded, silence fell.

Rythian looked at Israphel. Fury flared in the youth's eyes. Leo's words weighed heavily on Rythian's mind.

Israphel looked ready to kill.

What if he was to be Rythian's downfall? Israphel had grown so strong, and his emotions so unstable. The Endermage tried to placate the youth, before anything bad could happen.

Rythian sighed. "Israphel, I promise that I will teach you these things, but it's important to know the limits and intricacies of-"

Figurative flames burned in the youth's eyes as he interrupted. "He says that you don't think I'm strong enough. I'm plenty strong enough! I'm stronger than you. Even he says so!"

Rythian paused, absorbing what the youth had said.

"He? Who's he?"

Israphel clamped his mouth shut. "No one!" .

Rythian knew then what would have to happen. He simply couldn't have an apprentice that he couldn't trust. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to teach you anymore. I can't trust what you say. You've changed…." He trailed off, not really knowing what to say, but knowing inside that it was the right decision.

Israphel glared at him. "You're just scared of me! It doesn't matter. I've got Old Nick and I don't need anyone else! But you'd better look out. I know who you love. I bet if I got to Zoeya you'd really regret not teaching me."

Israphel's voice, had a heartbraking mixture of anger and desolation. Past Rythian's surge of fear and protectiveness at the threat to Zoeya, he felt pity for the youth. Yet another person was leaving him behind. His father didn't care at all for the Israphel, and his mother was dead. The Endermage realized that tears brimmed in Israphel eyes.

Those same bloody eyes flashed savagely. "You'd better go!" Israphel yelled defensively. The youth physically pushed Rythian away with his Force.

"You and your girlfriend had better watch your backs!"

Rythian didn't hesitate. He invoked his ring and flew back towards the city. He and Zoeya were going to clear out of town for a little while.

* * *

As soon as the Endermage had left, Israphel's face cleared. The tears that had been in his eyes vanished.

"Master Nick. He's gone." He said softly into the surrounding woods.

From the trees, the old man appeared. "Will he be returning, Israphel?" he asked, walking into the clearing.

Israphel shook his head. "I don't think so. I had to, um, threaten the girl he likes. Why did I have to chase him off? He probably hates me now. Surely he would be glad that you're teaching me now, right? He would have no issue helping with the Ritual."

The man smiled in his kindly way. "I hate to disappoint you, but many Mages don't understand or agree with the kind of magic I'm teaching you. But after this Ritual, it won't matter. Your Power will surpass theirs by so much; none of them will ever speak down to you again."

Israphel nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I mean, that's why I've done so many other little preparation rituals over the past week. Now I'm strong enough to handle this ritual. It's supposed to be really draining."

Old Nick smiled. "Good! You've been listening. Now you've gotten plenty of rest, but you haven't eaten today, right?"

Israphel nodded solemnly, punctuated by a loud grumbling of his stomach. The old man guffawed in his grandfatherly way "Great. Now, have you set up the circle the way I instructed you to?"

Israphel nodded. "Yes sir. I just covered it over with leaves, because you said not to let Rythian see it. I also got the candles and stuff." As he spoke, he pulled the aforementioned candles from his bag and uncovered a circle drawn in the dirt and lined with powdery stones. "It was hard to get all of the sulfur, and smelly too, but I managed. I got here before Rythian to set it up"

Old Nick frowned. "Where are all of the interior lines?"

Israphel was quick to answer. "I forgot exactly what it looked like, and you said that it was very important to draw them all precisely."

Old Nick nodded. "Right. Well, I think I have the diagram somewhere." He patted his pockets, pulling out a musty, ancient-looking scrap of parchment. "Israphel, this is not a beginner's circle anymore. Messing up now has its consequences. Drawing this wrong will kill everything within a mile radius, including you, so take care."

Israphel looked confused. "You too sir, right?"

Old Nick coughed. "Of course, young one. I just figured you care more for yourself than an old creaky man like me!" He smiled.

Israphel beamed back, and then looked at the paper that had the diagram on it. He very carefully began to draw the lines. Old Nick watched over him, occasionally murmuring a few words of advice. Eventually, a complex maze of lines lay inside of the circle's borders. If you looked at them for too long, they started to writhe like a nest of snakes, which Israphel discovered to his understandable alarm. A small blank area in the center of the circle was where Israphel would have to stand. He prepared to step into it when Old Nick caught his arm. His fingernails felt strangely claw-like.

"Israphel, wait. This Ritual is dangerous. If something goes wrong, I need your express permission to step in. Do I have it?" The man's serious tone surprised the youth.

"Uh, sure. You have my permission for anything." He responded immediately.

Old Nick's smile returned. "Good." He nodded. "Step into the circle."

Israphel did so, and looked to Old Nick again. The old man nodded. "Now light the candles."

Israphel had placed the plain white candles at equal intervals around the circumference of the circle, and now sent tiny wisps of flame to each of them. When the last one, the fifth, had been lit, the clearing seemed to grow slightly darker, as if to give the candles more authority.

Old Nick's face grew even more serious. "Good. Now I'm going to say a few words. You won't understand them, because it's a different language. Don't worry about it. You must repeat these words three times, and each time throw in one of the ingredients. Repeat the words on the third time with increased vigor, and then the Ritual will be complete. Then you will be filled with the power that you deserve! These are the words. _"Ego autem non contradico, adiungimus, in virtute, Daemonium tuus sum ego in anima et corpus!"_

Energy filled the clearing, and Israphel shivered. Still, he nodded resolutely, and stepped into the circle.

_"__Ego autem non contradico, adiungimus, in virtute, Daemonium tuus sum ego__in anima et corpus!" _Israphel took some powder from a pouch at his waist and scattered it on the ground around him. The air clearing was heavy, and Old Nick was silent. It felt as though Israphel was the only one in the world.

_"__Ego autem non contradico, adiungimus, in virtute, Daemonium tuus sum ego__in anima et corpus!" _Israphel took a bone from his belt, and dropped it at his feet. The ground opened up to swallow it, and a foul smell escaped from the gap. The ground rushed back together liquidly.

**_"_****_Ego autem non contradico, adiungimus, in virtute, Daemonium tuus sum ego_****_in anima-" _**Israphel drew a thin bladed belt knife. The light in the clearing was scarce, but the candle glow still gleamed cruelly on the metal. Without a moment's hesitation, so caught up in the Ritual he was, he drew it across his palm in one fluid motion. His blood began to flow from the wound, thick and fast. **_"Et corpus!" _** The scarlet drops fell to the ground like rain. The trees ringing the clearing rustled, though no breeze stirred them. A loud roar started in Israphel's ears and he fell to the forest floor, clutching his head. The ground sucked at his prostrate body, seeking to absorb it like it had the bone.

He stumbled to his feet, and turned to Old Nick for help. What he saw was not his master.

A black and grey beast with enormous talons and sharp, jagged teeth hovered where the old man had stood. It had no feet, just a tail made of fog. The center of the monster was dark, darker than oblivion itself. The creature gave Israphel a deadly smile, its teeth glittering. All of the candles went out when it bared its fangs, so Israphel could no longer see the monster.

Then, all Israphel could feel was agony.

The beast plunged into his chest, wrapping the shadowy material its body was made of around Israphel's limbs and smothering his heart. Its massive presence cowed Israphel's mind into submission, and though the youth resisted, the Demon was simply too strong. Israphel dropped to his knees, a tortured scream erupting from his throat. A vile black substance bubbled from his mouth, and stretched like elastic to bind his arms and legs. His screech choked off with a gurgle.

He collapsed fully to the ground, unable to fight. The black ropes tightened, and he squeaked. The Demon had gone entirely inside of him now, and he could feel in terror as it began to explore and take over his mind.

Within his head, a battle was raging. The Wraith had glowing hot chains that it wrapped around Israphel's consciousness. He cast off one of the chains, then two, but eventually couldn't struggle anymore. It had taken only seconds. Unable to control anything, bound by the burning chains, he helplessly shouted a few last words-_"Don't hurt Zoe-AHAHH-thian!"_

His entire being was filled with a malicious laughter. _"I have your permission for anything, huh?"_ The white-hot mental chains tightened further, and then the youth's mind was no more.

* * *

The Demon, now comfortably in control, sharply slashed the air. The circle on the ground broke, and the candles, already extinguished, flew out from their spots around the circle. The candles broke into pieces when they struck nearby trees, and the echo resounded dully around the clearing. The Power that had filled the air dissipated. The Demon grinned, showing long teeth. Slimy grey mist flowed freely from his hands.

The pallor of his skin paled even further, bestowing upon him the complexion of a living corpse, and the red of his irises spread to the white of his eye, giving the impression of bloody pits. His fingernails grew pointed, and his skin scaly and scabbed. The monster hunched over as a row of stunted spikes erupted from his back, each only about an inch long. Though always skinny, his bones were now as prominent as a skeleton's. The beast reached up one of its gnarled paws and ripped out a tuft of its once luxurious white hair. The roots offered little resistance, and indeed, most of his hairhad already fallen out.

The creature Israphel had become looked vaguely human, but more like a monster from a child's nightmare. He truly had the form of a demon.

Israphel, or at least the demon that had become him, sniffed the air, getting his bearings. He had instructions, given to him by his own king. He had to follow them, and they had included finding a suitable vessel. Now that he had one, he had to kill the wretched scientist Lalna. He didn't question his orders, as it was not his business. He would do as the King commanded. But he had no timeframe, and demons were very, _very _good at finding loopholes. It was only rarely that the most powerful were allowed to roam the Overworld lately. Why not have a bit of fun before proceeding with his orders?

_(You thought that this story was going to be all cutesy, with Zoethian feels and your favorite characters everywhere? Heheh. Buckle up. I've been possessed by a demon of my own. For those of you wondering what exactly those Latin words meant, Google gave me this- 'I do not resist He adds, in the power of, in the mind and the body of a devil, I am thine,' I mean, it sounds pretty good. It made more grammatical sense the first time I put it through translate. Have a wonderful day everyone…__._

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**End of Chapter 38**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 39**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys. Please don't hate me. I know it's been ages since I uploaded. I was focused on a million different things and this slipped through my fingers. Many apologies. Not much to say, to be honest, so I'll leave you to it. Enjoy the story and have a wonderful day! ~Mage)_

Xephos yelled in triumph as his ax felled another tree. He had been cutting wood all day, and was soon going to return to the house he and Honeydew had built. Though it had only been a week since they had started it, the place was comfortable, except for the occasional puddle that resulted from Honeydew's lighting the entire floor on fire, and more directly, their efforts in putting it out. The dwarf had called it 'House Warming'.

That whole disaster had happened a few days ago and most of the water had dried, but parts of the floor remained stubbornly damp.

It had been a fairly warm day, but occasionally a chilly breeze would remind Xephos that winter was well on its way. He dwelled on that fact as he quartered the small trunk into manageable pieces. If they were frugal, they had enough wood now to last the winter through. If worst came to worst, they could buy wood from the nearby village of Terrorvale, but it wouldn't be cheap. He deftly cut the quarters of logs into even smaller chunks, loading them into a wheelbarrow. His hands were calloused, and the handle of the ax fit perfectly into them, very unlike when he had first landed on Minecraftia more than four months ago. He remembered the way he had gotten blisters after spending a day chopping wood. His hands might be rough now, but it was caused by hard work, not sitting around in a spaceship cruising through the stars.

He wondered why he had ever been happy there. His life now was perfect, except for one thing-Lomadia. He regretted getting so drunk when she left, because he couldn't remember why she had gone. Honeydew couldn't give him a straight answer; probably because he had been too busy keeping the spaceman from hurting himself in the woods. If only he had minded his pints! But no matter now, it was an issue past and gone. He could still write, and perhaps meet up with her in Mistral City sometime.

He picked up the smooth handles of the wheelbarrow, which was now filled with logs. He started to wheel it home, stumbling only occasionally on the rocky terrain. Shortly, he saw it. An unfinished stone tower rose a short way into the sky from the top of the cave-like main room. He kept meaning to finish it, but still hadn't gotten around to the huge task. It had seemed easy when he started, but kept getting distracted with chopping wood and other everyday chores. It was strange to fall back into their old patterns after so long on the trail with Nilesy and Lomadia, but it was also comforting. Rather than sleeping on the ground and fighting off mobs, they could retreat safely indoors and stay warm by a nice fireplace, _hopefully_ not setting the floor ablaze.

When Xephos got a bit closer to his base he left the wheelbarrow full of logs by a small, ramshackle storehouse. It had been there before they had arrived, completely empty. Now they used it for storing wood, but Honeydew had designs to convert it into a mine-cart station. He wanted to start to form the massive network of tunnels he claimed were a necessity for any dwarf. That undertaking would have to wait until after this winter though, because the logs needed to season, and there wasn't really enough time to build another suitable storehouse. Xephos mentally promised to return for the rest of the wood he had chopped today later- he wanted to see what the dwarf was up to.

He was just pushing open the door when he heard Honeydew yell roughly "Get down here and fight me, you coward!" Xephos drew his iron sword and heard the faint twang of a bowstring. He was cautious but quick as he headed inside. The situation would have been funny if it weren't so dangerous. Honeydew was jumping around, roaring gruffly in that way of his. He kept trying to climb the narrow, rather hazardous stairway that spiraled its way around the inside of the tower. However, arrows kept pressing him back, causing him to retreat to the bottom of the stairs and leap around like a short, hairy ballerina. Before Xephos could react, an arrow whipped past Honeydew, barely missing the dwarf's beard. It flew with great speed to imbed itself in the door, mere centimeters from Xephos's head. Honeydew turned to look, and his eyes widened when he saw the spaceman.

"Friend, hurry! Some bloke by the name of Israphels' tryin' to fill me with arrows!"

Another arrow streaked down from above, this time grazing the dwarf's arm, drawing blood.

He howled and adjusted his grip on his hefty stone axe, charging back up the stairs in another seemingly vain attempt to face the attacker. This time, Xephos was close behind. Around Honeydew's stocky figure a few steps above him, he caught a glimpse of their assailant. He seemed human, but with dead grey skin and red eyes. His pasty skin was stretched tight on his skeletal frame, and he seemed to have only a few white hairs on his head. His eyes, though bloody and frightening, were dull, lacking the spark of life.

"I am Israphel." The pale one hissed in a monotone.

Honeydew shrank back from the scraping voice and nearly knocked Xephos off of the thin staircase. He flailed, and his sword's movement barely deflected an arrow that had been shot over Honeydew's shoulder.

"What do you want?" Xephos demanded, brandishing his sword threateningly.

Israphel regarded him through his dead eyes. "I am Israphel."

Honeydew growled "If you want a fight, you'll have it!" He charged up the last few stairs and swung his axe mightily. Israphel simply stepped backwards over the edge of the tower wall, avoiding the axe. He fell, and Honeydew peered over the edge, a moment later.

"He's vanished!" The dwarf exclaimed.

Xephos furrowed his brow, then turned from the dwarf and hurried down the stairs, heedful of the weaker or missing sections. Honeydew rapidly followed but was less watchful, tripping several times, and scarcely avoiding a quicker way down the staircase- straight down.

"We really ought to make this thing a bit safer." He grumbled under his breath. When he reached the bottom, Xephos had already pulled on a chest-plate and iron leggings. He tossed a helmet to the somewhat winded dwarf.

"If we hurry, we might be able to catch up to him." He said, checking the strap on his scabbard and rushing out the door.

"Xephos! You don't get it. He didn't run off, he just vanished! Xephos, come back!" Honeydew's protests fell on absent ears, as the spaceman was already running full tilt towards the forest. With a heavy sigh, the dwarf shouldered his axe and jogged after the spaceman.

* * *

Lalna ran a hand over the sleek metal of his newest invention. Ever since Sips and Sjin had wreaked his lab, he had found himself worrying less and less about Rythian. It had been more than three months, so it was pretty unlikely that the mage was ever going to come back for revenge. It was over, and had been since that night. The scientist had simply let his mind run away with itself and dream up all of the worst possible scenarios. After all, Rythian wouldn't turn into some bloodthirsty monster and start killing innocent people because he was angry at someone else. People never take out their emotions on others, after all. Right?

Lalna cocked his head to the side, frowning slightly. He stopped the path his mind was following, and turned back to his current objective- revenge. It was a dish best severed cold. This would be cold. _Freezing,_ in fact. Still, it was only with playful payback in mind he had built the impressive machine in front of him. His picked it up, strapping it to his arm. It fit like a long-sleeved glove. Inside the finger parts, different buttons could be pressed to perform various tasks. It was made entirely of metal, and so was fairly heavy, but that was fine, because he had also built a far stronger jetpack after Sjin had stolen his. Now he could wear armor and this new glove while flying, something that would be useful while trying to deter an intruder or getting sweet retribution on a couple of man-children.

The name of his glove was the Molecular Arranger and Relocating Device, or the MARD for short. It had a complex name, but a simple use. Pressing the various buttons would allow the user to change the molecular properties of a substance, for a short time. It also allowed a chunk of the same substance to be moved through the air with only the slightest amount effort on the part of the user, by giving the substance a magnetic property and altering the natural magnetic field in the tiny local area. It could be programmed to work automatically.

Its preformance was a bit touch and go, and its battery life was laughable, but it was good enough for what he wanted to do.

He made sure that the MARD was fully charged, and slipped a spare battery into his lab-coat pocket. "Goggles, show me the exterior security cameras."

On the left lens, crystal clear video displayed what the cameras could see. The right lens informed him of light activity on the western edge of his property, probably nothing more than a chicken

"Goggles, close both windows."

Both of the displays vanished. Lalna shook the arm that the MARD was strapped on, to ensure that it was secure and wouldn't slip off. Then, he pulled on a shiny jetpack, with a larger fuel tank. He opened the sky-light and flew through it. He commanded his goggles to close it, and then went to hide in the woods. He couldn't go through with his plan until dark, and it wasn't yet noon. He had a lot of scoping out to do.

* * *

Nilesy stared into a shop window, mouth gaping- generally looking like a kid in a candy store. "Look at all those buckets." He whispered reverently. "Made out of gold… made out of diamond!" His eyes shone as he turned to look at Lomadia. "Diamond portable pools… can you imagine it? We would be rich!"

Lomadia grinned and shook her head. "Look at the price tag Nilesy."

He did, and paled. "Maybe not quite yet…" His accented voice was weak.

Lomadia sighed with a smile. "C'mon. Let's go. By the way, how long does it look like we'll be staying around here?"

They began to walk down the street, the smooth cobbled stones so different from long hikes in the forest. Nilesy ran a hand through his black hair, which had grown quite long in their travels. "I don't know, really. Owl Island was nice, but I can't really run a pool shop there. I'd really like to open a nice one, like the one my father had when I was a lad."

There was earnestness in his voice that made Lomadia grin. "I don't know. Mr. Owl doesn't like cities, and to be honest, cities don't much care for him." An appreciative hoot came from her bag, where the owl was hiding from the loud sounds of the area. "Maybe we could stay on the outskirts of the city. I could train Mr. Owl like I've been meaning to, you can set up your shop, and if things don't go well, we can go back to the Island. There isn't any pressing need to go back right away anyway."

Nilesy nodded. "That sounds great. When do you want to start looking for a place?"

Lomadia looked at the sun, nearly at its zenith. "Oh, I'd say tomorrow. I don't really want to do anything today." She smiled sheepishly.

Nilesy smiled back, and his gaze caught a sign draped over a bit of fence. "Area 11 Performance…" He mumbled, reading it aloud. "Hey, aren't they that band with the 'Heavenly Drill' song or whatever? There was a big deal about them a few years ago, before I met you. They played in my village, but I was sick so pretty much everyone went but me. Could we go see them now?"

Lomadia looked at the sign, reading the dates. "I think that was a week ago but I'm not sure... wow, I don't even know the day"

Nilesy shrugged. "Whatever. Let's just keep walking."

He had just turned when someone in a great hurry collided with him. Nilesy went sprawling, and Lomadia stared in shock. The stranger apologized quickly in a strangely exotic, yet familiar voice, and then was about to rush away, but hesitated. He looked at them, and his eyes widened. Nilesy heard a sharp intake of breath, though it was muffled by a thin mask, and the stranger was gone, vanished into the crowd with the flip of a practical, black cape. Lomadia stared after him as she helped Nilesy up. "Was that… were his eyes…?"

Nilesy also stared at the place where the stranger had blended seamlessly with the increasing foot traffic. "Purple? I think so. I'm not sure. That happened so quickly. It looked like him, didn't it?"

Lomadia nodded grimly. "If it was Rythian… what should we do? Should I write Lalna or Xephos?" Inside her bag, cooed excitedly, yearning to stretch his wings and leave the city.

Nilesy shook his head. "I know that Xephos and Honeydew think he's dangerous, but he never did anything to us. I know you care about Lalna, though I can't claim to know him well. If you want to let him know that you might have seen Rythian, fine. But I don't think it's a good idea. Lately his letters haven't been as… well, dark. Perhaps in this case, ignorance is bliss."

Lomadia nodded slowly, understanding Nilesy's reasoning. "This really is between him and Rythian, anyway. I don't want to start any problems" she sighed. "Let just go find a place to eat. I don't want to worry about things."

They put the Enderborn from their minds, and had a grand time touring the city. Though the place was busy, it felt oddly peaceful. Within a few hours, they nearly forgot about the entire incident.

* * *

It was not nearly so peaceful for Rythian. Brother yammered in panic, again worried about discovery by the scientist. He had fought for control for the first time in months. Rythian had almost forgotten what the bone crushing pain felt like. He didn't particularly want a refresher, but had gotten one anyway, which resulted with him retching in an alleyway as Brother apologized profusely and precious seconds ticked by.

"If you can calm down, I will give you control. However, every second we waste means Israphel could be getting closer. I'm actually worried about this, Brother. I couldn't bear it if…" his mental voice trailed off, unable to actually finish the thought because it was so painful.

_"__Really I'm sorry. You know that trying to force control is nearly as painful as having it taken. Just go, and hurry. I don't want anything bad to happen. I care for her as much as you. Just if one of them recognized us… there will be consequences."_

Brother was done speaking. He fell silent, and began to explore the possibilities of their situation in images and disjointed thoughts. It wasn't meant for Rythian to understand, and he didn't. He was too busy weaving in and out of the crowd to pay attention anyway.

He got to his house, and was filled with renewed urgency. One of the windows of their apartment was open. He ran inside and rapidly scaled the stairs, and then opened the door. Inside, Zoeya jumped, turning towards the door. Rythian was panting, and his posture was tense.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He sighed with relief upon seeing that she was okay, and walked into the kitchen and closed the open window. Zoeya explained the open window, fearing that it had angered Rythian somehow.

"I'm sorry. I was trying to enchant a ring, and something went wrong. It sort of exploded, so I had to open the window to air the place out a bit."

Indeed, the air had a slightly acrid tang to it

Rythian strove to keep his voice calm. "I just had a small disagreement with someone. It's probably no big deal but it would be a good idea to clear out of town for awhile."

Zoeya's face fell. "You're leaving?"

He shook his head. "No, No I think we should both go, just in case. Grab some clothes and your flying ring. Pack light. I'll get the other stuff."

Though Zoeya would ordinarily protest or ask a million questions, this time she didn't interrupt. Something in Rythian's voice chilled her, and the strained urgency frightened her. He was scared, she could tell, and if it scared him, she had all the reason to be scared too. She did as he asked, gathering it all into the same simple leather pack she had used on their first travel.

"It's just like old times, huh?"

Rythian just nodded grimly. "Follow me. We should hurry. Once we get out of town we can fly. I'll help you keep up somehow. Let's go"

He strode away, Zoeya close behind. She kept her eyes on the back of his fluttering cape, so she wouldn't lose him.

And so their second journey began.

**End of Chapter 39**

_(Cough... shameless plug my tumblr is Mage-Lochlyn and I have a lot of Yog stuff, including my writing and artwork but mostly I reblog things ...Cough)_


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 40**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! I felt bad for neglacting you all for so long, so here's another chapter. This chapter is perhaps the first that really earns its teen rating. So fair warning, some stuff happens. __Enjoy the chapter and have a wonderful day!)_

Rythian could hear Zoeya's exhausted breaths behind him as they flew. After leaving the city they had flown for nearly three hours, and Zoeya was reaching her limits. Rythian glanced back at her, and then landed carefully. His ring thrummed softly as he cut the flow of Power it drew from him. Zoeya landed loudly next to him, her weakness causing her to stumble. Rythian grabbed her arm before she could fall. Her own ring glowed slightly, with the same auburn hue as the stone. She sighed, plopping to the ground.

"Why are we leaving the city again?"

He looked at her, still heartbreakingly beautiful in his eyes despite her wind- mussed hair and fatigue. He could have kept flying the night through, but she lacked the Energy. With any luck, her capabilities would increase as she practised.

"It was just an argument. I don't want the other party to make any rash decisions or anything, so I'm giving them some space."

As he spoke, he looked away from her, trying his best to not let his fear of the youth he had taught show in his eyes. It would do no good to say he was frightened of a child. After he spoke, silence fell, except for the quiet sounds of the forest. It was obvious that Zoeya had more questions, but she held her tongue. Rythian was glad for that, because he wanted to shield her from the danger that Israphel might pose. Answering her questions would only scare her, and he couldn't bear to do that.

Rythian walked away to a clear place between two large oaks, the limbs of which were covered with yellow and orange leafs. The trees were old, and their trunks held a ancient story of scars. High up he could see deep notches carved into the trucks, as though giant lumberjacks had tried to fell them. He wondered what could have caused such marks as he set up their tent.

Zoeya began to gather wood for a fire. It was still bright out, but the sun would soon set. He drove the last stake into the ground and then turned towards the makeshift fire pit that Zoeya had built. A bemused smile touched his lips, hidden beneath his mask.

Zoeya was kneeling by the unlit timber, arms spread wide. Her eyes were screwed shut in concentration, but he noticed one flicker open as she tried to sneak a glance at him. She bowed her head slightly and clenched her eyes shut when she saw he had noticed. She began to mutter softly under her breath and in the centre of the branches, a small cloud of smoke began to form. It spiraled away in some minuscule wind current to reveal what had she had summoned.

"A mushroom!" cried Zoeya, dismayed. "Anytime I try that Bare-Hand casting thing, all I get is mushrooms!" She pouted; glaring at the fungus with such a withering intensity that Rythian was surprised it didn't flee. "And it's not even a nice red one! It's a stinky, evil, brown one!" She continued to lament.

Rythian chucked softly as he sat beside Zoeya. "It's fine" He reassured her. "You just have to try and- well I don't really know how to explain it, really. What you're doing here is like, half way Bare-Hand casting. You just have to imagine the flames the way you want them, and then put them there. Inside, bend your Power into the flames you envision, and then replace the sticks with it. I know it sounds complicated…."

Zoeya nodded, determined. "It's ok. I can do it this time."

She closed her eyes; her face relaxed and unlined. She took a few deep breaths, and slowly opened her eyes with an exhale. Another bit of smoke puffed out of the fire place, and Zoeya was thrilled, until she realized what she had summoned. Another mushroom (red this time) had appeared next to the first, and tiny orange flames flared along its stalk.

"How in the world did I manage that…?"

Rythian shook his head as the mushroom shriveled up. A spark from it ignited the other mushroom, and they were soon just piles of ashes, but every bit of wood remained unscathed.

"I don't know what you did. I mean, mushrooms are cool-"

"But not what we need" Zoeya interrupted, her voice glum. Then she looked up at Rythian, her eyes hopeful. "Back when you first talked to Parv, you told me that Mages could link minds to help each other with spells. Maybe if you show me that way, I can do it on my own next time."

Rythian's breath caught. "You would… You would trust me to do that? You realize I would be inside your mind, right? And- and you'll see mine."

Zoeya smiled, but her face quickly grew serious. "Of course I trust you, and yes, I realize we'll see each others minds. That's sorta the whole point. All I'll see is cobwebs anyway, so no worries there." She grinned to show him she was joking.

"Alright." The Endermage smiled nervously, his mask hardly shifting.

She outstretched an arm, and he took her hand. His was trembling and sweaty, but hers was cool and soft. He tried to ignore the loud beating of his heart in his ears, and closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths. She did the same. Rythian began to shape his energy, sending it down his arm to their interlocked fingers. He tried to concentrate, but was hyperaware of their physical closeness. He disregarded that thought from his mind, and attempted to reach out to Zoeya's Power. He found his way barred by a strong barrier. He pressed against it, and he was faintly aware of Zoeya taking a shuddering deep breath. The barrier vanished, and he was drawn into the spectacular expanse that was Zoeya's mind.

Lights.

Lights were everywhere, some silent, and some tinkling like wind-chimes. They were in every color imaginable, and they drifted around sedately. There was a mysterious strain of music, but it kept fading from Rythian's ears when he tried to concentrate on the lilting sound.

One of the lights struck his presence, and suddenly he was no longer Rythian, or Brother, and she was no longer Zoeya. Instead, they were a confused mix of individuals, in parts separate, and in other ways completely connected. In shock, the separate part of Rythian tried to open his eyes, but found itself gazing from Zoeya's instead. He looked at himself, from her eyes, and part of her mind weighed in on his. Emotions echoed from distant parts of her mind, confused and clear at the same time.

One emotion stood out from the others. A sort of suppressed need, an emotion he could only connect to when he saw her. He felt this way in the early mornings, when she would make breakfast and joke about the mushrooms that seemed to always sprout when she was near. He felt this way when he was walking into the woods, alone with Brother and his thoughts. He felt this way when he lie awake in bed at night, as he awaited the piercing pain he knew was his Power destroying his body, and all he wanted was for someone to tell him that he would awake from the crushing pressure as he slipped into oblivion.

He felt this way about her.

The light passed out of his Consciousness, and his presence seemed oddly empty without her. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he was confused. He wasn't all together certain of who he was, he still felt as though Zoeya was a part of him that was missing.

He curled into a tight ball, gazing warily at the drifting lights. They were pretty, and in them he could see everything about her that he loved. The hue of her hair, the pitch of her voice, her unquestioning kindness, the fierceness of her nature, her spirited loyalty. The lights started to pull him again, humming with their odd melody. He stopped himself before her lovely mind could draw him in. It was beautiful, but not his to explore. He was careful to avoid the lights and tried to ascertain his identity.

_"__I am Rythian. I am an Enderborn Mage. I am Rythian_…" He repeated it like a mantra to stop himself from slipping away, and to drown out the tune that drew him into another self.

_"__Uh, Rythian, that's great, but could we maybe do the spell and then talk about ourselves?"_

_"__Zoeya, you can hear me?"_

_"__Yeah, and I can see your mind, I guess. It's weird, like there are two completely different spheres. Ones light and happier, but the other one is dark, and… scary. Can we just get this over with?"_

Rythian noted with some dread that she sounded slightly uncomfortable, and he wondered how much of his thoughts she had been privy to.

_"__Sure"_

He cast out his Power like a fishing net, pulling it slowly in until he found the slow throb of Zoeya's Energy. He gently enveloped her Energy with his, and began to mold it, like a child might shape clay. He turned Zoeya's eyes to the fire-pit, trying to imagine flames licking their way up the branches. Something kept distracting him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, until he glanced at his own body with Zoeya's eyes once more. It was easier this time to quell the rush of emotions.

The clothes he wore were the same colors but more vibrant. He realized that everything was brighter, and what he saw ordinarily through his own eyes was muted, not much, but slightly. Some colors were different also. The grass was green, greener than he could reasonably comprehend. He was so easily distracted in this state, which could have been part of Zoeya's energy. No wonder she rushed about as she did.

Zoeya questioned what was taking so long without words, and Rythian focused again. He determined what had to be done, and Zoeya, realizing his intent, began to direct her magic towards completing his vision.

With only a minor correction and a few nudges from the Enderborn, Zoeya managed to get a merry blaze crackling, sans mushrooms. Rythian detangled himself from her mind, relishing the feeling of familiarity as he settled into his own. Though he felt more secure, he felt oddly hollow, as though a piece of his middle had been removed. The fire reflected on his lilac eyes, forming abstract shapes.

Zoeya also opened her eyes, and stared deeply into the flames. "I did that." She whispered. "I did that without a single mushroom."

Rythian laughed, and Zoeya caught him with the huge grin of hers that he loved.

Not knowing if it was the right thing to say after such a surreal experience, he told her, "Your mind is… amazing. Lots of bright colors and happy thoughts and music."

He remembered the chilling melody, and shiver went up his back. The tones still just eluded his grasp.

She looked at him, her expression unreadable. It felt as though she measured him. "Yours is too. It has fear and hurt, but also hope, like the first few hours after a bad storm." She replied softly, not meeting his eyes. "You had two distinct sides. Was one of them Brother?"

Rythian nodded. She knew of Brother- he had told her the same time he had told her everything else after speaking to Parv.

"I guess it must have been. We're pretty different, but the same in some ways, I suppose." Brother sent a hazy image of Zoeya's smile, and Rythian's gut tightened. Zoeya nodded, and looked back into the flames, her eyes vacant. She was obviously deep in thought, and so Rythian let her be, retreating to the tent and sitting just outside of it to practice magic.

There had been something that had been bothering him. He could so easily do complicated tasks with his Power, but the simplest things still eluded him. He could heal any injury, but he couldn't conjure a single wisp of flames to manipulate unless he gave Brother control. He was surprised he had been able to through Zoeya. He decided to practice controlling the physical aspects of his Energy, and summoned a single purple electrical spark, willing it to change.

No matter how much Energy he pushed into that tiny spark, it remained stubbornly the same. He was unable to even change the color. He stopped the flow of Power. It was senseless to exhaust himself on a task so meaningless. He stood and walked back towards the fire, crouching silently by Zoeya's side. She didn't look at him, but felt his presence nonetheless.

"You said that you had a small disagreement, and that's why we left Mistral City. Rythian, when we touched minds, you felt far more than mild caution. You're afraid, but what's scaring you?"

Rythian exhaled slowly through his teeth, gaze lost in the blaze. He realized that he was actually sending a weak trickle of power into the flames, making strange colors and ominous shapes appear. He cut the flow, annoyed.

"His name is Israphel." Rythian's voice was soft. "I took him as an apprentice about a week ago, on our first day in the city. That's where I've been going every morning."

"Is he who you're afraid of?" Zoeya prompted

"I'm not frightened of him, per se, just wary. His magical powers grew and flourished under my instruction, far faster than I would ever have expected. We came to be friends, I suppose. But, I saw him doing a type of magic that could become dangerous. I chided him, as any good teacher would, but he grew angry. He began to yell, and mentioned another teacher, one that I had never heard of. I told him that I would no longer tutor him in magic, and he… he…" Rythian stopped speaking, emotion trembling in his voice.

"He what?" Zoeya asked gently.

"He knows of you, and of my past. He was so angry, and he started to… to threaten you, and me. That's why I brought you away from the city, so he couldn't find you."

Zoeya bit her lip, heart thudding heavily in her chest. The danger of the situation was frightening, but also exciting. Rythian said he wasn't scared, and she believed him. She didn't know what to make, however, of his protectiveness. Was it possible…

No, surely not. He was just a good friend. Good friends would save each other from irate Mage apprentices. That's what friendship is all about!

A strong breeze rustled the treetops, and the Endermage whipped his head around to scrutinize the dark woods behind him. The light had been steadily fading from the sky, so it was dark enough Zoeya could see the glow from Rythian's eyes. She faced the forest also, and saw a figure lower itself from the trees, not actually touching any of the branches.

"Hello there, _Master_" the word was sneered in a gravely voice.

"Israphel?!" Rythian gasped. "What's happened to you?"

The youth drifted to the ground, allowing the weak sunlight to strike his thin frame. He looked up, and his eyes glowed with a bloody intensity among a sunken, hollow face. His skin, which had been pale before, was now an ashen, mottled grey. His white hair was all gone, his bare scalp instead shining dully. The pale face grinned mirthlessly, revealing long, sharp teeth. When he spoke, his voice was rough, but powerful.

"He did what he had to in order gain the power and recognition he so desperately desired. He was so talented, and his acting, I have to say, was top notch. He had no trouble scaring you away. He wasn't quite ready for me, but you had caught on, and everything else was ready." The monster's grin grew wider, revealing even more teeth. "He'll do. The whole thing was quite amusing actually. He was so gullible. It was so simple to gain his trust. He did anything I asked." His voice was mocking. "All he wanted was a friend. He gave himself up for possession so readily." He dropped the grin. "Now it will be so much easier to do as I have sought for eons! And the first move is to kill your Lalna."

Rythian fought to keep his voice steady. Whatever Demon that controlled Israphel couldn't have the best interests of the world at heart.

"What is it you seek to do? Why does it include killing Lalna?" Israphel's luminescent eyes narrowed.

"I do as I am ordered, and I answer only to my Ruler. I'm only here to warn you not to stop me. I know through this boy's mind that you hate the scientist, so why don't you tell me where to find him?" He didn't phrase it as a question. "You will be rid of the constant threat he poses, and I will accomplish what I seek much easier. If I do not succeed, my Leader will be… displeased." The Demon offered what might have once been an enticing grin, but was now just a baring of rows of needle sharp teeth.

"I don't like Lalna, but I can't let you do this. Whatever your Master wants can't be good for this world."

Israphel's eyes became hard, his mouth set into a line. "Of course not, mortal! My Ruler seeks to destroy it."

Rythian sensed a fight, and gave control to Brother. His eyes were flooded with darkness, and similarly dark flames cloaked the entirety of both of his lower arms. Every time he fought, he was sure the hue of the purple got closer to black.

Israphel saw the aggression, and snarled. He flew a few meters up into the air, though Rythian could see no ring on his finger. A sickly pale mist seeped from the youth's fingertips, and a faint buzzing filled the air as Energy formed within the cloud the Mist made. Before Rythian could respond, a streak of red lightning flew from the cloud to hit his right hand. The fire covering it vanished, and his entire arm went numb. Rythian dove to the side, and prepared to blast the Demon with his other hand. However, he saw something that completely stopped him in his tracks.

A long limbed, black monster blinked into the clearing, then vanished. In the trees around, Rythian could see more of them popping around. The snarl remained fixed on Israphel's face as he warmed up the next bolt of lightning. He was fully prepared to take advantage of Rythian's distraction. Then, the voices started.

**_"_****_Do not kill him. Master wishes to end him Itself." _**The multitude of voices flowed over and through each other, like water over a streambed. It made Rythian's head swim.

The voices layered over each other and echoed for a few moments, and then faded away, and the sinister shapes blinked away from the woods, leaving the area far behind. Apparently the Endermen's words were directed at Israphel, whose eyes were shut with an angry scowl on his face. The bloody eyes flickered open, and the greasy mist was gone from around his hands. He looked at Zoeya, who had been watching with wide, panic-struck eyes. She held a silver ring and seemed to be trying to enchant it, but she was too stressed out and alarmed to concentrate.

Israphel chuckled, softly at first, but it grew into an insane screech. "I'm ordered not to kill you, but they say nothing of her! You will regret not helping me when you had the chance!"

It vaguely occurred to Rythian that the demon wasn't at all stable. Zoeya screamed as she was abruptly lifted from the ground. She was roughly tossed through the air, and flew back into a tree. With a groan, the tree's limbs blackened and began to twist around her, binding her to the trunk.

Rythian growled, flames cropping up around his hands, and embers burning in his eyes. The world took on a red tinge, and without thought he threw a powerful fireball at Israphel. The youth batted it away effortlessly, not taking his eyes from Zoeya. An evil, perverse smile twisted his pale face as Zoeya struggled against the constricting branches. Her ongoing scream was cut off by a branch covering her mouth.

Rythian's growl turned into a raging roar. He didn't bother with physical forms of Power now, just letting his wrath tear itself through him. A blast of pure energy soared through the air. There was no way that anything could withstand such a potent attack, and even the demon inside of Israphel was no exception. He was flung backwards, crashing through several smaller trees, and then collapsed forty meters away.

He stood a moment later, bones poking through his skin and blood streaming sluggishly from a multitude of deep slashes. A huge splinter of wood seemed to have pierced one of his lungs. The demon pulled out the splinter and placed his hand over the wound, healing it. He did nothing to the other cuts and broken bones, and seemed to feel no pain from them.

"I must go and heal my vessel, but don't doubt me when I say I'll return!" the Demon yelled from the distance. "You can't hope to stop me or my Ruler!"

Israphel flew away, and the branches that bound Zoeya relaxed and returned to how they had been before the dark magic had twisted them. She fell to the ground, stumbled, and then began to rush to Rythian's side.

The amount of force he had sent at Israphel had truly drained every last bit of Energy from his body. He fought the black fog that threatened to overcome him, but then he felt the Pounding start at the base of his skull. Though he usually felt it coming on for a few minutes beforehand, it was all at once this time. He clutched his amulet, breath shaky and fatigued.

He was unconscious by the time Zoeya reached his side.

* * *

Zoeya huffed a sigh of relief when Rythian's eyes shot open. She had been watching him worriedly since he had collapsed about ten minutes before. Agile as a cat, the Enderborn leapt up and took a defensive stance, electric sizzling down the lower half of both his arms. He faced away from her, eyes scanning the woods that Israphel had disappeared into.

"He's gone, Rythian. He ran off into the forest just before you blacked out. I think we're safe for now. His injuries looked pretty bad."

Zoeya's voice seemed to break Rythian from a trance, and the mage straightened from his crouch and rolled his shoulders. He blinked hard, and turned to face Zoeya with half-lidded, weary eyes. They flew open upon seeing her condition. She had scrapes and bruises all over her face and arms, courtesy of the tree. Some of them were quite nasty, but Zoeya hadn't complained of them.

"Let me heal those." Rythian requested, but Zoeya shook her head resolutely.

"No, save your Energy in case Israphel returns. I saw you unleash that huge blast of raw Power, but I don't think you can do it again. Even from what you've told me, that's not how Energy is meant to be used."

Rythian studied her for a moment, and then responded slowly. "I think… you just need a reason. Having something so…important to save gave me the strength. I could do it over a hundred times, if the circumstances were the same." Zoeya smiled and narrowed her eyes. Was he saying what she thought he was?

"Fine" she relented. "Heal away." The scrapes and bruises hadn't been bothering her before, but now she could definitely feel them.

"Alright, let's go over by the fire so I can see what I'm doing. Remind me later to try and show you how to do this. I don't know how much you can heal now, but-" Zoeya smirked as she finished his sentence.

"I'll get better in time, I know."

She sat on a blanket by the fire, which illuminated the area. The sun had gone completely down, and the air around was chilly. The forest was awakening with the noise of crickets and other, more ominous sounds. She didn't worry, because not only was she a veteran of the whole camping experience, but she had faith that Rythian could handle any forest animals. He had messed up that demon pretty bad, so there was no reason to be scared of the baddies that go bump in the night.

Rythian sat on the blanket next to her, and tried to explain what he was doing as he did it. He always tried to describe what he did in order to teach her, but it could be complicated as nothing much could actually be seen. All of it had to do with feeling and controlling the somewhat rebellious Power that lay within.

"Right, so when you want to concentrate on healing, try to block out any negativity. I've not really had much experience with healing, because something about being an Enderborn heals me automatically. Everything I know about it comes from healing others. Pull on your Power, and make it clean of any bad thoughts. This more than anything else I've done requires being clear-headed. Push the power gently from yourself, and hopefully it will take a physical form." He closed his eyes, the worry lines on his brow smoothing out. His outstretched hands glowed with a pastel lavender sheen.

He opened his eyes. "You don't have to try it right now. I'll just heal these scrapes, and you can try tomorrow. It's getting late." He began to carefully heal the wounds on her face, clearing a cut that split her eyebrow, and a discolored bruise on her chin. Zoeya held perfectly still, her breathing steady. Every time Rythian's fingers came within an inch of her skin, his fingertips lit up. He wasn't sure if that was good, so he was wary to keep his distance. Still, when healing a scrape that stretched across her jawbone, his hand trembled, and he accidentally brushed his fingers lightly across her silky skin.

At his soft touch, Zoeya shivered. His fingertips were rough and cold and her skin flushed. Rythian jerked his hand away, stammering an apology, not entirely sure why he was suddenly so nervous about touching her. They had slept in the same tent together for three months, though admittedly there had always been at least a foot of space between them. On an impulse, Zoeya grabbed his hand and before he could move away further she reached out to his mind, sending her power through her fingers into his being. For a moment, he shied from her intrusion, contracting his entire mind into a tiny, super-dense ball and throwing up impenetrable mental walls.

Then, with immense care, he lowered his shields. She saw into his mind, though she could tell that he avoided hers. He was filled with turbulent emotion, and she could feel them all. A few among the slurry were the strongest. She could feel his fear, and nervousness, and above all, his love. It radiated through every cell in his body, and from both sides of his mind, fairly bombarding her with the passion of the feelings. With a gasp, she separated herself from his mind, and met his eyes. They were afraid, swirling quickly between light and dark, but it was steadily he returned her gaze. Zoeya's expression was unmistakable.

"I'm tired of pretending Rythian." The Enderborn's eyes widened when she said this, and uncertainty flickered across his face.. He tried to still his trembling hands, one of which Zoeya still held. She gently released it, and reached towards Rythian's mask. Besides the time, months ago when she had taken it off of him while he was unconscious, she had never seen him without the purple fabric covering his face. She found the loose ends, and began to untie it, but then Rythian closed his eyes and spoke pleadingly.

"Don't Zoeya. Please"

She did nothing, neither moving her arms away or continuing to untie the knot. He opened his eyes, now an unwavering pale, and looked at her, only inches from his face. She widened her eyes, losing herself in his.

"Just trust me."

She found the ends of the ties again, and resumed unknotting it. Though he clenched his jaw, Rythian said nothing more.

The knot gave way rather easily, and Zoeya gently placed the folded square of fabric on the forest floor. Rythian wouldn't meet her eyes, staring intently at the ground somewhere to her left. He looked angry, nervous, and ashamed all at once. Though there was less than three inches separating them, it felt like miles.

She looked at the marks on his face, the purplish-black swirls visibly gouged into his skin. They didn't repulse her. When she didn't react with fear or disgust, Rythian locked eyes with her. "They don't… bother you?"

She shook her head. "Of course not."

She gingerly put one of her hands on his face, tracing one of the scars. Overcoming his trepidation, Rythian brushed a bit of hair from her face, slowly dragging his fingers down her jawbone. He cusped her cheek in his hand, but seemed unsure what to do next. Zoeya smiled faintly as she leant in closer to him and gently pressed her lips to his.

He was startled to say the least, but quickly thawed as his eyes closed. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into a close embrace. She tightened her arms around the back of his neck and pulled herself in closer.

He fell backwards, back on the blanket. The wind rushed from his lungs and his eyes widened. The way he had fallen had brought Zoeya with him. She giggled abashedly.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, secretly not feeling apologetic at all. Rythian laughed along, once he had gotten his breath back.

"It's…fine." His voice was peculiar, and a slow smile pulled on the corner of his mouth. He shifted slightly to lie on his side facing her. His fingers combed through her hair, and down to the arc of her jaw, then brushing up her cheek to the soft curve of her lips. They parted as she smiled dreamily.

"You're beautiful." He breathed. He could feel heat rise in her cheek, warming his hand.

Months of uncertainty fell away, and their lips met once more. Her hand slid down his arm to his, and they clasped tightly. A spark of energy passed between them

They joined minds once more under the stars.

**End of Chapter 40**

_(Note- Very conflicting emotions right now. On one hand, I've always held a sort of disappointment for 'smut' and I fear that's what I've just written. On the other hand, I like to think this was a bit classier and not too graphic. I mean, all they did was kiss. The only thing that gave me the feeling this was 'ok' was that Zoey (IRL) has said that she doesn't mind Hetero ships so long as people recognize and respect that Zoey and Zoeya are different people. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think. I mean, I like romance, and writing about it, but it's only a small part of the story. I didn't put Zoeya and Rythian together for the sake of them being together. There is further purpose. Thanks for letting me unload my probably unneeded worries and explanation. Have a wonderful day! ~Mage)_


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 41**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys… so uh, It's been awhile since I've uploaded anything. I hope none of you were worried about me. It's been a confusing time for me, but things are evening out and I'm feeling a little bit better about the world. I'm feeling better about a lot of things. Hopefully I can get chapters to you guys a bit more often. Enjoy this chapter and have a wonderful day! ~Mage)_

The Scientist watched the complex from a hill, nestled safely among the impenetrable brush. The sun was going down, but that didn't matter, as his goggles had night vision, a feature that would be useful for his upcoming mission. Below, he could see as one by one, the lights in the complex turned off. Soon the only light came from the main building, where Sips and Sjin had retreated to an hour before. The sound of Sips's voice flowed faintly up the hill to where Lalna was listening. They had no clue that he was there. He had even traded out his trademark lab-coat for a black cloak, with a hood he pulled over his light hair. He wore grey fingerless gloves, grey pants, and sensible black boots. If he stood in a shadow, he was nearly invisible.

Lalna tightened the straps on his jetpack and stood on stiff, cramped legs. He stretched for a few moments before securing the MARD onto his arm and firing up the pack. The engines were very quiet, producing almost no sound. He hovered silently towards the complex, doing a quick circle above it to ensure that there were no employees or anything outside. Once he was satisfied that no one was watching, he sunk towards a massive warehouse on the fringe of the cluster of buildings. He stood before the huge doors, and grinned. Everything was coming together now.

He produced a small, glittering object from his pocket. When he turned it on, it clicked and whirred for a moment, then glowed with a steady green light. Lalna gently touched the light to the lock on the door. It scanned the lock, determining what sort of key would be needed. Eventually the light turned blue, and a dispenser on the side produced a key. It was made of nanobots, as that was how the machine worked. It sent the dimensions for the key to the nanos, and they formed the shape necessary. Lalna took the key and unlocked the door. He put the key back into the scanner, where the nanos disassembled, going into a dormant state until they were needed again. Only then did Lalna actually open the door.

A jumbled disarray of chests, pipes and seemingly random piles of dirt met his eyes. The shear amount of stuff was slightly overwhelming. The chaos had no semblance of organization, with picks thrown into bins filled with machine parts. There was a row of loud, vibrating machines. The noise they made shook the air. Lalna had to close his eyes for a moment to steel his senses against the cacophony.

He had to remind himself of his current goal. His gloved fingers fumbled across the cuff of the MARD, and the glove lit up with a soft hum. Lalna gave some thrust to his jetpack to hover above one of the smaller piles of dirt, still quite an impressive hill.

He pressed a button inside of the index finger of the MARD, and a huge sphere of dirt rose from the center of the hill. The dirt that wasn't affected slid easily over the sphere to fall back to the floor. Lalna lifted his arm slightly, and the sphere moved accordingly. A wide smile covered the scientist's face. He let himself fall back to the ground again, and carefully walked towards the huge open doorway, towing the massive ball of dirt. With a little bit of maneuvering, Lalna and the sphere were on their way. Soon, the scientist stood outside the building Sips and Sjin assumedly slept in.

Lalna scarcely breathed, as though that would stop him from waking the other two. He drifted up towards the sky, commanding the ball of dirt to rest inches above the house. He smiled again, almost looking feral, and released the force he had over the dirt. It dissolved slowly, scattering dirt on top of the roof. At first, Lalna feared he had done something wrong, but then the entire sphere fell apart, sending huge amounts of soil cascading over the roof, falling to the ground and covering the doors and windows.

Lalna heard a confused exclamation come from the house. It sounded like Sjin's voice. The scientist quickly hit several buttons in succession on the glove and the dirt solidified with a sound like rushing ice. Nearly the entire building had been covered by the now-solid dirt, but Lalna could still faintly hear the disorder inside.

"Sjin, what the hell was that?"

"Uh, I don't know boss-" a beat of silence "The windows won't open! And the doors are stuck too!"

"What the fuck? Is that dirt? Who the hell did this? Sjin, are we stuck here?"

"I'm getting my pick!"

"No! Don't leave. There might be a monster or something!" There was another moment of silence, before Sjin could form a response. "Um, what?"

"Never mind." Lalna could hear the embarrassment in Sips's voice. "Wait, you fixed that jetpack I stole, right?"

"Uh, yeah. I just had to turn a little knob on the side." Sjin sounded distracted.

Lalna heard a dull thud from inside the house, followed by several more. Sjin must have found his pick. The molecular bonds between the dirt would hold for a few more minutes, but the soil would eventually return to its natural state. Lalna decided that it was about time that he got out of there so he threw a piece of paper to the ground a few feet from the door, where they'd be sure to see it..

He had inscribed a nice note on it- along of the lines of _'Don't mess with me, I mess right back', _though it wasn't phrased quite as politely. Underneath it, he had written his own name in large, flowing letters.

He turned and gave a bit of power to his jetpack, when suddenly Sips burst from the chimney, strapped into a jetpack. Somehow, the chimney hadn't been blocked by the dirt. Sjin was close behind him; both of them covered head to toe in soot. The moonlight reflected off the sword that the mustached man held. The metal gleamed cruelly.

"Lalna! You'll pay!" he vowed.

Sips looked equally pissed, but was quickly distracted by the hardened shell of dirt. "woah…" he whispered reverently, knocking on the dirt. To his surprise, it crumbled at his touch. Soon, the rest of it fell down, creating a huge smoky cloud. Lalna coughed as it coated his throat. He could hear Sjin choking too, but couldn't see him.

"What do you think this is; a joke? You wreaked our base, and it will take forever to clean up!" Sjin's voice was hoarse.

The dust began to settle somewhat.

Lalna stared at the man's dusty outline incredulously. "And you think that the mess you two made was any easier to clean?" he stopped moving upwards, hovering in place.

Sjin's voice held venom. "You had a few science projects. This is a business!" his tone grew shrill in affront. "And you burned half my mustache off!"

_'__Science projects indeed!'_ Lalna narrowed his eyes, and couldn't help an insult. "Is that what you call the rat on your lip?"

With a roar, Sjin blasted towards the scientist.

Lalna was nearly run through by the irate man's sword before he could register what was happening, and barely dove to the side in time. Sips cheered aimlessly, still distracted by the dirt. Sjin howled angrily as his momentum flung him well past the scientist. He obviously wasn't used to the pack's controls. Lalna fell to the ground, cutting the jetpack's power. He braced himself for the landing, and then looked for a weapon. He hadn't brought any laser-guns, but in hindsight, it seemed like it would have been a very good idea. He simply hadn't thought that he would be discovered. He heard Sjin's growl of outrage growing closer.

Quickly scrabbling across the ground, his hand touched something hard. He turned quickly, raising the object above his head. It was a stick, slightly less than a meter long, and so worked fairly well as a makeshift sword.

Sjin's blade cut half way through the stick. The mustached man yelled sharply, trying to catch Lalna off of his guard. He pulled the sword from the wood, and jabbed at the scientist's belly. Lalna barely parried in time. He kept blocking Sjin's furious blows, but soon nothing would remain of the paltry piece of wood. The scientist was fair at swordsmanship, but Sjin was a more than worthy opponent. Lalna had grown used to using guns rather than swords. It also didn't help that Lalna wasn't using his dominant hand, as the MARD was still strapped to it. The glove was too bulky to easily grip the wood.

An idea struck Lalna just as Sjin's sword clove the stick in two. He could use the MARD as a weapon! He blasted his jetpack, and flew up more than twenty feet in a second. He felt as though he had left his stomach in the dirt, but he had to get some breathing room. Sjin started to pursue the scientist, but he didn't know how to overdrive the acceleration, so was a fair bit slower. Lalna kept moving as he configured the glove. He felt stings as the tiny particles still suspended in the air cut his skin. He didn't slow his acention, and they drove through his clothes and skin. He was sure his healing was fixing the damage as fast as it was able, but his face was still raw and bloody.

After two minutes of intense multitasking, he had the program set up in the MARD's computer. He was very high above the ground, and the air was cold and thin. Up here, he was free of the dirt cloud, and instead was in the middle of a real cloud. His clothes were soaked, but the water was soothing on his countless tiny wounds. However, he could hardly see a meter in any direction. He stopped, looking for Sjin. He heard the engine of the jetpack Sjin used, but the sound reflected off of all the water droplets, making it seem as though it came from every direction. Too late, he pinpointed it directly behind him.

He twisted to dodge, but felt a great tearing slash in his back, and his vision flickered. He fell a few feet; one of his jetpack's engines damaged. He could taste blood in his mouth, but oddly enough, couldn't feel any pain, just a slow, dreamlike fading away. He couldn't even bring himself to be alarmed as the engine failed and he started to spiral towards the ground. He was warm, despite the freezing air. He saw Sjin flying towards him, now that both of them were outside of the cloud. He felt a nagging thought in the back of his head. He was supposed to do something, wasn't he?

All of the pain from the deep slash on his back hit him at once, which was shocking, but served to clear his mind. He started the MARD's program. Suddenly, all of the air around Lalna became very dry as every bit of moisture in it condensed to form a ball of water, the molecules of which stopped moving to form ice. The MARD took control of the ice, not needing any outside input. It sent the ball flying into Sjin's jetpack, crushing both of the tubes. Now, Sjin was falling much faster than Lalna, who still had one engine that slowed his descent. Sjin screamed as he plummeted past the scientist. Now, the MARD controlled the air molecules themselves, to form a cushion for Sjin to land on.

Around then, Lalna passed out from blood loss. His healing was managing it, but not quickly enough for him to stay conscious. However, the MARD kept working. As Sjin hit the cushion of air, the dirt that had settled on the ground rose up to form bars stronger than iron. The bars made a cage that trapped Sjin, as well as Sips, who was only a short distance from where Sjin fell. Sips ran over to his employee, who was pale and unconscious, but breathing.

Sips looked outside of the bars, and saw a shape high above heading towards the ground. The MARD had slipped off of Lalna's hand and hit the ground first, shattering into countless pieces. It was followed soon after by Lalna, who slammed into the ground, and bounced up a few feet before landing again with a wet sounding crunch. His goggles came off of his face and flew a few feet away. His jetpack was burned out and smoking. Sips felt queasy. There was so much blood, and bone shards stuck from the scientist like porcupine quills.

The corpse of the scientist lay there for a few moments before a flicker of green light started on his chest. Sips stared out the bars still, with huge eyes. Whatever was happening wasn't natural, and a chill prickled the back of his neck. The light grew in intensity, and started to spread across the scientist's body, sizable sparks sizzling all over him. His limbs twitched and jerked about like a crazed insect's. The bones began to slide back into his body, making a sound worse than nails on a chalkboard. The holes they had made closed up with a slurping sound. His neck cracked loudly, sending Sips over the edge. He heaved dryly onto the ground, nothing but bile rising up in his throat. As quickly as the sparks had started, they vanished. A low moan rose from the scientist's throat, soon cut off by a cough. Sips gagged one last time and gazed nauseously out the bars.

Lalna sat up, and looked around himself in confusion. He realized what had happened and exhaled loudly. He patted down himself, as though assuring he was actually alive. He pulled back his hand with a grimace of disgust. The moonlight hit his hand, and Sips could see the film of blood that covered it. It may have been the nighttime lighting that cast a purplish shadow over the tacky substance.

The scientist's hair was spiked with partially dried blood, combined with plenty of dust and dirt. Lalna stood shakily, and looked over at the dirt prison for the first time. He locked gazes with Sips, who still gaped in shock.

Lalna barred his teeth humorlessly, and then frowned again. He groaned as something- possibly his knee- cracked. He ducked his head to Sips. "That cage should dissolve soon. The molecule bonds should only last for a short while." His voice was harsh and gravelly, so he coughed to clear it. He spat out a clump of congealed blood, and rolled his shoulders, moaning as they both cracked like his knee had. He spoke again sounding more like himself, though still very angry, and rightfully so. As he spoke he stalked closer to the cage, griping the bars and leaning in as close to Sips as he could.

"I think _that_-" he nodded towards Sjin, who hadn't stirred. "Might be the definition of an over-reaction. It was supposed to be a prank! Just a bit to clean up. You two weren't even supposed to know until the morning. Just see to it that he doesn't come after me. I can see I do have enemies after all." His voice was bitter, and his knuckles white from grasping the bars so hard. When he let go of the cage, there were tiny crescents on his palms from clenching his fists so tightly.

Sips felt actual terror. Nothing much scared him, but _this_, well, it was just too much. Lalna was something beyond human. The part of his brain that wasn't preoccupied with primal fear offhandedly wondered who else the scientist viewed as an enemy. Anyone even nearing the power Lalna obviously possessed must be fearsome indeed!

Lalna scowled as he swept away from the cage, picked up his goggles and kicked a piece of the broken glove. He put the goggles on, as they were miraculously unbroken. His own body had taken most on the impact. He saluted sarcastically to Sips, and began to slowly limp home, casting off his broken-beyond-repair jetpack. He would have to build another, in case Rythian returned. Obviously, Lalna was bad at judging how people would react to things, so in his mind, it was entirely possible that Rythian would come back after all. It was back to the old routine- anger, fear, and exhaustion- for the scientist.

**End of Chapter 41**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 42**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys! We're finally getting into some SoI themes, but I sorta feel like it's necessary for me to tell you that this is very AU. Not a lot of this is going to fit the cannon story line super well. I'll be skipping around a bit, and changing stuff to make my story work. I feel like most of you knew that already though. Right, so enjoy the chapter, don't forget to leave a review and have a wonderful day!)_

Xephos stared into the fire that he and Honeydew had built. It was too late to head home now, because all of the nighttime beasties would be eager for a kill. It was safer to stay here, but he wanted to keep going. He was sure that the strange man would keep running, so how would they get any answers? Why had Israphel attacked them? What did he want?

Honeydew's stomach rumbled loudly. He was slightly annoyed at Xephos, simply because the spaceman hadn't stopped to bring anything. All they had was armor and weapons. No food, no drink, and no tent- they were really roughing it. The dwarf put another branch onto the fire. At least he had a flint and steel.

"Xephos, what are we doing in the morning? Are we going home or chasing more smoke?"

The spaceman's image was blurry in the heat-haze from the fire as he replied, "I don't know. I feel like we should keep going, but we won't be able to catch up to him after resting for the entire night. I suppose we'll have to see."

Honeydew sighed. "Alright then. I'm going to bed." He lay down where he was, stretching out on the grass. He gazed up at the stars. At least the grass was soft, even if the air was a bit nippy. It could have been worse. He fell asleep quickly, and the rumbling of his snores soon filled Xephos's ears. The spaceman also went to sleep, eager to continue the hunt in the morning.

Zoeya awoke, curled up on a blanket. She blindly reached out a hand, but felt no one beside her. She opened one amber eye and yawned. Heat flushed her body as she remembered the events of the night before. She could feel the blush rising in her cheeks, but fought it down. She had been blind to have never noticed that she and Rythian felt the same way about each other. She sat up and stretched.

Over by the fire, Rythian sat quietly, watching her. He was fully dressed, cape, armbands, and all, except for his mask. He held it in his hands, folding and unfolding the thin fabric. He smiled when he saw that she was awake, one side of his mouth pulled up slightly more by one of the scars.

"Good morning Zoeya."

She smiled back sleepily and yawned a reply, along the lines of "G'morning Enderboy."

She changed into her everyday clothes as Rythian started to cook over the fire, and the scent of eggs filled the air. Zoeya plucked an apple from a nearby tree before sitting next to the Endermage. She shyly took his hand, and he smiled.

It quickly faded.

"Zoeya I think we have to stop Israphel." His brow furrowed and he lost his gaze in the fire for a moment.

He spoke again. "I'm not sure how I can do that, but his being that way is my fault. I don't like Lalna, but if his death helps the demon inside of Israphel, I can't let that happen. Lalna is the lowest scum of humankind, but Israphel- or whoever his master is- wants to destroy the world. Take your pick, but I think Lalna is slightly better."

She settled her head on his shoulder. "Whatever you want to do, I'll go along with. Israphel sounds like a pretty bad dude, but if you want to turn a blind eye… I won't judge you by it. I know Lalna did some pretty bad things to you."

Rythian frowned, considering it. Both he and Brother knew that it wasn't really the right thing to do, but to be honest; the scientist hadn't been in the side of 'right' whilst creating Rythian. His eyes flickered darkly as he felt the old resentment towards the scientist. All of the pale coloring vanished, and his eyes became twin dark oceans of pain and anger.

Zoeya gave Rythian a moment, taking down the tent and dousing the flames now that breakfast was done. She had gotten most of the camp picked up before Rythian had calmed down and decided on an answer.

"I have to stop Israphel, but not for the scientist. I think that the demon that possesses Israphel is working with the Endermen, or even whoever rules over them. I don't know what it is, but I felt its Voice once. Actually, it was our first night together on the trail, just after fleeing the others. And fighting the Endermen"

Zoeya shivered at the mention of the beasts.

"It wants me dead, very badly, and has nothing but contempt for all of us. I think that potentially saving the world is more important than my quarrel with Lalna."

Zoeya put her pack on and nodded. "Sounds good." It was the answer she had expected. "What do we need to do first? Should we go directly back to his lab and try to cut off Israphel? It's a long way, but with the flying rings, we should be able to do it." She slid a ring onto her finger, and it took up a dull glow.

Rythian tightened the straps of his pack.

"Yeah… I'm not really looking forward to going back there, but we have to. I have no idea how fast Israphel will be able to get there. It didn't sound like he knew where the lab was, but it won't take him very long to find out. Make sure to let me know if you need a break or something. Flying is tiring."

His own ring shone like a minute sun.

Zoeya sighed, remembering her exhaustion upon landing the day before. "Alright. I'll try to tough it out as long as I can though. We have to be swift."

Rythian looked like he was about to protest, but held his tongue and instead nodded slightly to himself. He put on his mask. Zoeya frowned.

"Why do you still want to wear that? I think I made it clear that I don't mind the scars."

Rythian smiled inwardly as Brother reminded him of the way it felt when she traced the marks on his face. Her cool fingertips dancing across his hot skin, down his neck…

"I know you're fine with them, but not everyone will be. It's probably too late to try and stop Lalna from finding me, now that we're going to fly straight to him, but I still feel a bit… self conscious, I guess…"

He felt slightly childish as he said this, while Zoeya instantly felt guilty. Naturally Rythian wouldn't want to be shunned for his disfigurement, though disfigurement was too harsh a word for his scars. In her opinion, they made him more attractive, not repulsive. But until he could come to terms with them himself, he would wear the mask. Part of it was probably habit, anyway.

Zoeya fiddled with the hem of her tunic, and cast one last glance around the campsite. She nodded.

Rythian dipped his head, turned and rose one hand up. A small spark skipped along his arm, until a strong push of Force erupted from his hand. Leafs twirled around, caught in the breeze, and the ash from the fire scattered. When the wind ceased, it was impossible to tell that anyone had ever camped there. Rythian and Zoeya nodded together, and then both rose up into the sky. There was nothing jagged or unsteady in their ascent, smooth and effortless enough to warrant the word 'graceful'.

Still, it was only a short ways later, as they flew over the treetops that Zoeya began to feel the tight resistance of her Power. She tried to hide it from Rythian, not wanting to hinder them and perhaps be the cause for missing Israphel. After a few minutes of struggling onward, her breath grew labored, and the glow from her flying ring flickered dangerously. Every time the light went out, she dipped a few feet.

Rythian was flying a short distance ahead of her, so didn't realize Zoeya's predicament until it was nearly too late. He turned just as her flying ring went out for good. Her shrill scream made the problem horrifyingly clear. With only the slightest bit of effort, he dove down and grabbed her. She had only been falling for a few seconds. When he touched her skin, her ring blazed brightly. Her breathing steadied, and she hovered easily beside him.

Her eyes were wide and she took a few deep breaths.

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting tired!?" Rythian demanded, his delayed panic turning his voice harsh, as his eyes went dark and turbulent. "You could've died!"

Zoeya flinched at the roughness of his voice, though she didn't let go of his hand. Rythian immediately regretted yelling.

"I'm sorry, Zoeya. I just don't want to ever think of losing you. That scared me."

Zoeya nodded a few times. Her voice was a bit strained as she replied. "Yeah, yeah, it really scared me too. I don't want to fall; I just don't want to slow us down either!" She blinked rapidly, the aftershock making her eyes water.

She couldn't stop herself from sobbing, and Rythian awkwardly pulled her against him and held her close to his chest. He gently stroked her hair, her beautiful red hair, and cooed over and over.

"It's alright. You're alright."

It was a bit odd, as they still hovered far above the ground. Soon, her tears stopped, and she smiled up at him crookedly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry. Or fall. Or… hey wait, I feel fine now. I'm not tired at all!"

Rythian looked at her ring, which still glowed with a greater intensity than it had when they started flying earlier.

"Maybe it's me? Since we linked minds, maybe I can share my Power with you? Or maybe I'm helping you channel the Power you already have. Don't panic; I'm going to let you go, ok? I want to test something. Don't change anything and just let the Energy flow through you."

She closed her eyes, swallowed nervously, and nodded. Rythian slowly dropped her hand, and let go of her as he drifted a few feet away. Her ring still shone brightly, until she opened her eyes. Then, the light began to flicker again. She was steady in the air, but was quickly growing tired again.

Rythian quickly flew to her side and touched her arm. The light from the gem intensified. Zoeya glanced at the ring, and then turned her eyes to Rythian.

"What does that mean?"

Rythian frowned for a moment, though all that Zoeya could see was a scrunching of his eyebrows. "I don't know exactly, but you kept channeling at full power for a moment after I let go of you. Maybe you need to have something to help you channel, or something is blocking you from using your full power. You hovered there at full power for a second, without me. I could look more closely into that when we make camp tonight, but I don't know exactly what I'll have to do. Until then-" He slid his hand down her arm to intertwine his fingers with hers. "-Maybe we could fly like this?"

She smiled, and squeezed his hand softly. "I like that idea. Let's go."

And just like that, they were off at twice the speed they had gone before. Within a moment, they were only a speck on the horizon.

Xephos nudged Honeydew awake, and the dwarf protested sleepily, his complaints garbled.

"Wake up, friend! We have slept far too long. We must be on our way." Honeydew sat up, yawned hugely and rubbed his eyes. "Where wer' we goin' again?" The dwarf's voice was thick with sleepiness.

"To find Israphel and see what he wanted with us! C'mon, it's getting to be late in the morning!" Xephos exclaimed.

He sounded rather excited about the whole affair. He had already put out the fire and gathered their paltry supplies. In a few moments Honeydew was ready, though he looked slightly irked for reasons unbeknownst to Xephos.

"What way are we even going?" the dwarf inquired, hefting his ax and rolling his shoulders.

Xephos looked around at the trees around them. Any evidence of someone passing this way was long gone, so he picked a random direction.

"This way is better than no way. Let's go." He strode off, forcing the dwarf to quickly grab his things and hurry after. They walked for a good long time, so intent on their task that they didn't notice two figures holding hands fly high above them. They headed in different directions, but their paths would again cross sooner than almost anyone could anticipate.

_Almost_

**End of Chapter 42**


	42. Chapter 42

_(Author's Note- Many apologies for the lack of uploads, I wish I could promise that they'd be more frequent, but I can't. I really want to get back into the swing of writing, but life gets in the way sometimes. That said, I am serious about finishing this story, and it's eventual sequels... It jut might be a bit of a longer wait than I once thought. Don't forget to leave a review, they're all I really get out of writing this besides my own personal enjoyment. Enjoy the chapter and have a wonderful day! ~ Mage)_

**Chapter 43**

The form flew evenly over the ground, seeking something in particular. None could see him, and he left no shadow. Swift and pressing ever onward, he did not halt for anything. If anyone had been able to see him, all would have immediately known that this was a man with a purpose. What, they might not know, but he had purpose nonetheless.

The thoughts of this being were complex and many layered, but one thing currently stood out in his mind above all of the others. They had taken the bait, now he had to find them. His inhuman mind worked with blinding speed, far quicker than any mortal mind could ever operate. He took note all around him, while also thinking of all that could go wrong, what could go right, and what needed to happen to fix the future.

Ridgedog finally found what he sought, and the lopsided grin stretched across his face. The frantic speed at which his mind had been rushing slowed, and he concentrated on the new task set upon him. He had to get those who had no remembrance of him to trust him once again. The demigod had been investigating what threatened the Tapestry of Life, and now had some idea of where everyone needed to be to stop the upcoming destruction of all that was and would be. Still invisible, he walked alongside the travelers, listening to their conversation. The tall one, with the hard blue eyes and the mind that intrigued him so, spoke first

"Friend. I know that you're angry with me. I got a bit caught up in the heat of the chase, and now we're lost. I'm sorry I didn't grab more supplies." There was a short stony silence until his much shorter and stouter companion sighed and spoke up.

"It's fine, I suppose. But what are we going to do now? We've lost anything resembling a trail to follow, and we don't know how to get back"

"I don't know. Surely if we keep going we'll find something eventually."

"Before we starve to death? Before we're killed by Mobs? Eventually isn't good enough, Xephos."

Xephos hung his head in shame. He had truly acted impulsively, dooming them to more or less certain death. More importantly, he had failed his friend. He was supposed to be the responsible one, but he had run off with no preparations at all. He deserved whatever abuse Honeydew wanted to hurl at him. To his surprise however, Honeydew stopped speaking, and walking altogether.

The dwarf kept his voice low and leaned in towards Xephos, who had also stopped moving. "Who the hell is he?" The dwarf whispered. Though it was midday, there was a slight fog that clung to the ground and made the air damp and colder than it should have been, as late in autumn as it was. Ahead of them on the trail, just visible against the mist stood a figure that to both brought back a vague sense of Déjà vu. Neither could quite discern where they might have seen him, and so they were each oblivious to each other's confusion.

The spaceman's stony blue eyes met with the Stanger's tired grey ones, and Xephos's head was suddenly filled with the truth. Something about saving the world, a fabric of Fate…

but now it was gone.

Whatever he had been thinking had slipped from his mind like water through a sieve. He shook his head to clear the disturbing thought that he knew something about this, and instead set towards the stranger.

"I don't know who he is, but perhaps he knows where we are." He told the dwarf, who followed obligingly enough, weary of walking without purpose.

"Hail travelers!" The stranger exclaimed, standing fast in the middle of the road.

Honeydew gave Xephos a confused look.

"Hello friend." The dwarf replied cautiously but respectfully. Xephos looked on distantly, still confused as to why he felt like he had met this man before.

"You look tired from such a long travel. Follow me to the inn and drink with me. My name is Old Peculiar."

Xephos looked carefully at the stranger, taking in the man's appearance. He wore a white shirt tucked into nondescript brown pants, with leather suspenders. Old Peculiar was mostly bald with a piteous comb-over, and had the salt and pepper stubble of a man who has neglected shaving for a few days. His grey eyes were unreadable, deep-set into a weathered face. Suddenly the man set off, not waiting for the other two's responses.

Honeydew shrugged. "Not much else choice, is there? Let's go"

Old Peculiar soon heard the heavy foot falls of the dwarf and the lighter steps of the spaceman behind him. He took great care to keep his gait steady. The last thing he needed was to ascend into the air in front of the others, though it was his preferred mode of travel. That would take a good amount of explaining he didn't want to deal with just yet. He had seen the hesitation on Xephos's face, that flicker of recognition before the magic binding his mind rose up to lock the memories once again. The more times he had to corrupt the Spaceman's memory, the more likely the magic was to fail. It had barely worked this time. The dwarf was still oblivious, thankfully.

Xephos followed the haggard old man until the ground beneath his feet took on the appearance of an often used trail. They followed the path around a small hillock, and then a quaint wooden gate came into view. Old Peculiar pushed it open and turned into a building that stood right by the gate. Xephos and Honeydew exchanged mystified glances before following him inside.

The inside of the building was snug and warm, a welcome respite from the unseasonal chill outside. A merry fire crackled in a brick fireplace, and the heat could be felt across the room. Xephos shrugged off his jacket, sweat already glistening on his brow. He didn't much like surprises, as set in his ways as he was now, and was going to demand some answers!

However, Old Peculiar spoke up before Xephos could get out a single word.

"Would you care for a refreshing drink?" The man boomed in an oddly robotic way.

Xephos raised an eyebrow, caught off guard. A half step behind him, Honeydew seemed similarly taken aback, but managed a half hearted response.

"That sounds lovely, thank you…" His tone echoed the confusion that filled Xephos's mind.

Old Peculiar set two tankards on the counter, with a hearty "Enjoy!" Xephos was still speechless, trying to figure out what was going on, but Honeydew managed a quiet thanks. The duo slunk a few feet away with the mugs. Old Peculiar started to wipe down the counter.

Honeydew awkwardly swirled the drink around in the mug, and an intoxicating scent filled the air.

"Hmm…" the dwarf murmured, taking a sip. His dark eyes widened "It's delicious!" He exclaimed.

"Uh, friend, don't you think drinking that might be, I dunno, a bad idea?"

The dwarf shook his head. "No, it's great, really. I could swear I've had it before though…" he cut himself off with another gulp.

Doubtfully, Xephos took a tentative sip. The drink wasn't cold, as he expected, but not hot either. It had a fruity aroma, and the drink itself was sweet and it tingled on the tip of his tongue and the back of his throat. It took a moment to isolate the flavor of the drink, but as close as he could figure, it closest resembled summer-ripened raspberries. He also again had that slight feeling of déjà vu, but quickly dismissed it. He tried to decide what the most pressing question was just then.

"Where are we?" He directed toward the old man.

Old Peculiar gave the spaceman a wrinkled smile and came out from behind the counter. He opened the door leading outside and beckoned the others to follow him. Gesturing grandly about, he exclaimed "Welcome to Terrorvale!"

"Terrorvale! Isn't that the village we always meant to visit but never got around to?" Honeydew asked.

Xephos nodded. "Yeah, I think."

Old Peculiar gestured that they follow him, and he told them about the local blacksmith, and how they needed a bit of help with something. A very short walk later, the three stood outside of a squat stone building. Xephos noticed the old man try to neaten his scant hair. Old Peculiar knocked on the door, and it immediately opened to reveal a beautiful women.

"Why hello there!" Xephos exclaimed, forgetting Lomadia for a moment as Honeydew stated the obvious-

"What a pretty young lady!"

The girl, who had long blonde hair with a red flower pinned in it, blushed prettily and giggled. She looked down at Honeydew and teasingly said, "You're not so bad yourself, stranger!"

The dwarf couldn't help a wide grin and a slight blush of his own.

Old Peculiar coughed quietly from behind them, and the girl dropped the teasing tone. Still friendly, she asked, "I'm Daisy, now what can I do for you?"

"Well, I heard you needed some help." The dwarf replied with a sly wink.

Daisy giggled again. "Aye, but not like that." She winked back. Xephos felt slightly nauseous. He stared into the fire that smoldered in the fireplace as he heard Honeydew's reply of-

"Oh, right…. Damn"

Xephos noticed that Old Peculiar started to look around awkwardly from his place outside of the building. Daisy then laid out the actual thing that she needed help with; Diamond ore. Her deal was that she would make them the finest crafted armor in the region if they would go and mine some for her.

They accepted her offer, and were soon on their way to the cave where the Diamond mine was. Old Peculiar led the way, and Daisy stayed inside her shop. They had just gotten to it when they heard a piercing scream from the way they had come.

Old Peculiar turned on a dime. "Daisy!" He cried. He ran towards the sound, Xephos and Honeydew close behind.

They got back to the shop. The wooden door hung ajar as though forced open, and a gruesome scene met their eyes.

The Pale Man. The man they had sought stood over the unconscious body of Daisy. There was a long, nasty slice on her lower arm, and various other nicks and scrapes. Israphel picked her up in the moment before anyone could react, and they both dissolved into sickly pale smoke. The last thing to disappear was his emotionless pale face, which stared blankly at them and hissed 'I am Israphel.' before vanishing

"NO!" screamed Old Peculiar "NO, NO, DAISY!" The old man charged into the room as quickly as his painful joints would allow him to, but it was too late.

They were both gone

_I do feel bad for the deception I have had to force on them, but is necessary. The fate of our world hangs in the balance._

**End of Chapter 43**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 44**

_(Author's Note- Hey guys. I realize that IRL Martyn and Kaeyi have separated, but for the sake of this in-progress story, the characters will stay together. I'm not dead yet so here's another chapter. Have a wonderful day. ~Mage)_

Martyn scowled angrily, glaring at the ground and stomping as he went off alone into the woods. He had been in a sour mood for the past few days, but he had no clue why. Both Kaeyi and Toby were similarly edgy, and life in the clearing had been rather uncomfortable. Worse still, he had just had his first real argument with Kaeyi. Conflicting emotions did battle in his stomach.

For so long, their relationship had been perfect, but this unease, this _anxiety, _was threatening it all. He felt a strangely perverse pleasure at venting his anger, but more overwhelming was his regret and sorrow for the hateful words he had spat. Their quarrel had begun with the most illogical thing as well; His snoring.

He knew he snored, but couldn't stand to hear her say so. And the way she had said it wasn't teasing or nice at all. It had been with anger she accused him of keeping her up all night, and it was with similar anger he retorted that she didn't have to sleep in _his _bed.

She had gone tight-lipped and her eyes filled with fury. She took a breath to reply in a scathing manner, but he had heard enough nagging. He stormed out of the house, and sought solace among the trees. Now, guilty thoughts ran through his mind as he raced blindly through the forest. He should really go back and apologize. There was no excuse for his harsh reply- He loved her! They shouldn't be fighting at all! But there were other thoughts too. She had started the fight after all, with her complaining. She should apologize to _him!_

He sunk to his knees, only now feeling the harsh sting of cuts that branches had left on his face and arms. Furious thoughts buzzed like hornets within his skull, with fire rising in his chest and tears steaming in his eyes.

Just when the turmoil was becoming unbearable, his mind went empty. Still on his knees, he looked up to see where his clumsy retreat had taken him. Rising from the ground in front of him, tall and stately, was his tree. The magnificent being with which Martyn shared a mind. Though they were so intimately linked, they were rarely very conscious of each other's presence, generally just living their lives on their own.

Naturally, Martyn was quite surprised to hear his tree's voice directly speak to him.

**_Martyn… _**The tree's voice was slow and gentle, but still urgent in its way.

_Yes, Master Tree? _He replied respectfully. A tree's true name was only to be used in special ceremonies. There was a mysterious sort of magic imbued in the name that lessened if it was used too commonly.

**_Martyn… You are having trouble at your home?…. I could feel your aggravation…. I worried that you would get hurt…. I called you here…._**

Martyn got up from his knees, and stood by the tree, carefully placing his hands on the rough bark. Every inch of it, every nook and cranny felt familiar, and he was filled with a sense of peace.

_Yes, Master Tree. I am having difficulties with my girlfriend. I have been feeling so angry lately, and I don't know why. She seemed that way too._

**_Ah…. She-of-the-New-Hope…. Yes… I have an explanation for you, He-of-Loyalty_**

The tree went silent for several minutes, but Martyn was patient. Though trees were immeasurably wise, their minds worked much differently.. Instead, Martyn wondered to himself about the names the tree had given Kaeyi and himself. 'He-of-Loyalty' was clear enough, and Martyn knew that he was loyal, but 'She-of-the-New-Hope'? What was that meant to mean? He didn't have enough time to muse before the tree spoke again. Martyn sat against the trunk, rested his head on the oddly comfy bark, and closed his eyes as he let the tree's musical voice wash over him.

**_Most of us trees here have felt uneasy, Martyn… We have felt rumblings to the east… It strikes fear into the deepest depths of my corewood…. Things of great magnitude are coming, and…. Things will change…. Already they have. Our fear has been pushed onto you, and we apologize…. I am growing tired, but I have asked the others to attempt control over their energies…. _**Here, the tree adopted a joking tone, strange to hear in its rumbling mental voice. **_We all know just how easily affected you humans are._**

Its voice faded away, and Martyn opened his eyes. It suddenly felt very strange to be alone in his head again. He stood shakily, trying to process all that the tree had told him. It hadn't quite used words, but more a collection of flashing images, sounds and scents which was how trees and the forest as a whole perceived things. Martyn's mind had taken in the information, but he was having some trouble understanding it. He wasn't a tree, after all, even if he shared a consciousness with one. He finally stopped his hopeless effort to understand, and instead focused on what he did know. Things were happening back east, very far, perhaps even beyond Mistral City. It was bad enough that the trees were worried, and the tree's concern was what had caused the grumpy moods and….

Oh, Notch! Had he really said those things to Kaeyi? He felt guilty and disgusted with himself all over again, except that now, no angry hornets attacked his thoughts. He sighed, closing his eyes and clearing his mind. He had to go apologize, that much was clear.

He began on the way home, staring down at his feet as he went. Now that the angry confusion was gone and he wasn't connected to his tree, he felt very empty. He needed to get back to Kaeyi fast. Already, he missed her. Every step he took closer to the clearing, the more he felt like sprinting the remaining distance. The only thing that kept his feet from flying over the uneven ground was his nervousness at having to face Kaeyi. His own anger was gone, but was hers?

By the time he could see the cabin- safe from view himself, hidden by several layers of brush- his heart hammered madly within his chest and his stomach twisted in a very unpleasant manner. Catching a bright glimpse of colour from the corner of his eye, he was startled to see a wild rose bush growing in the shelter that one particularly large tree's roots provided. The roses on the bush seemed to glow with some sort of hidden energy, and were in several different colours. Strangely enough he couldn't remember ever seeing the bush there before, but it was obviously quite developed. He knelt down by the bush

It almost seemed to reach out to him, and he heard the faint whisper of his tree, multiplied by a thousand, nay, a million. There was a clamor of messages, some understandable, others more ancient than he could comprehend, and still more were tender and young. He knew then what the bush was- A gift from the forest to him.

He broadcast his thanks as well as he could, overcome with gratitude for the generosity. The entire forest had chipped in some amount of energy to grow this rosebush, so obviously filled with life and magic. He had never heard of such kindness, for though trees were wise, they were more concerned with the slow affairs of their lives than the fast ones of their partners. Giving a gift of precious energy so near winter was truly a kindness.

He carefully chose a few blooms from the bush and cut them off, being very sure not to damage the bush itself. When the flowers were in his hands, they seemed to grow, becoming even more vibrant and beautiful. Graceful swirls told a story on the delicate petals. A story of regret and of begging for forgiveness.

He stood, again expressing his thanks to the forest. The forest collectively brushed against his mind briefly, to show its understanding, and left, now for good. It felt strange to be so connected to everything, and Martyn wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. He didn't have much time for musing though, because he now needed with an even greater intensity to be with Kaeyi again.

He walked into the clearing, and made eye contact with Toby, who seemed to realize that he hadn't spoken to the other two in a week.

The forest's unease had made him withdraw again, spending most of his time alone. He was sitting by the fire pit writing in a journal when Martyn burst into the clearing. It took a moment for him to realize that whatever was driving them apart had vanished. By the time he realized he wanted to say something, Martyn had already vanished into the cabin that he and Kaeyi shared. Toby stared into the still-dying embers of last-night's fire. It never really went out. The fire was quite beautiful, mesmerizing him with its glowing intensity. He began to write once again.

Martyn cautiously stepped into the cabin, worried that some sort of hard object would come flying his way. He scanned the room quickly, and saw Kaeyi. His heart dropped. She was turned mostly away from him, so he couldn't see her face, but her shoulders shook. She didn't seem to notice his quiet entrance, and so for a moment the only sounds were her soft sniffily sobs.

Martyn coughed faintly. "Hey… Kaeyi. I'm sorry." His voice was wavering as he found himself on the verge of tears.

"Martyn?" Kaeyi turned quickly.

To his surprise, she leapt up and nearly tackled him. "I'm so sorry!" She cried, burying her head into his shoulder as he awkwardly outstretched an arm to keep the roses safe from being crushed.

"Wait" He pulled himself away. "I'm sorry. This was my fault… well, sort of. See, the trees were getting really nervo-"

Kaeyi cut him off with a short kiss, which he found himself returning. He forgot entirely about what he had been saying. Kaeyi smiled and took a short step back

Martyn grinned back as he offered her the flowers. She accepted them with a gasp.

"They're beautiful! And the swirls are so pretty! Thank you Stinky!"

Martyn chuckled. "Am I forgiven?"

Kaeyi had turned away to put the roses in a vase, but turned back and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Yes… Am I?"

"Most definitely." He smiled back, cupping her face in his hands. Their lips met again, sweet and gentle. Martyn's hands drifted down to Kaeyi's sides, and hers snaking under his shirt. The sound of a door slamming startled them both.

Toby stood there, face redder than the roses that now graced a simple glass vase with their beauty. Martyn and Kaeyi released each other and stared back. Martyn adjusted his shirt

Toby coughed before he spoke. "I was uh… just wondering if you guys wanted me to get the fire burning again. It's um… getting kinda late, ya'know….?" His voice was thin, and if anything, his face had grown redder.

Kaeyi smiled at the poor boy's awkwardness, and Martyn chuckled easily as he spoke.

"That sounds great. You know what? I'll go with you and we can go gather some firewood. It's been awhile since we've really talked, hasn't it?"

Toby nodded, quickly turned and walked out of the cabin, still stammering some sort of intelligible apology. Martyn and Kaeyi looked at each other and broke out into childish giggles.

Martyn quickly grabbed his bow and quiver, and gave Kaeyi a goodbye kiss. Then he was off after his longtime friend.

All in all, they ended up having a quite enjoyable evening. After gathering wood, Martyn and Toby competed in a friendly archery competition while Kaeyi cooked a delicious meal. They would've helped, but it was generally agreed that she was far better than either of them. They would have only gotten in her way.

They enjoyed their meal, and spoke properly for the first time in a week. Martyn told them some of his exchange with the tree, downplaying it some as to not concern his friends about 'The rumbles in the east'. Neither of the others had ever had such direct contact with their tree apart from their first bonding, so they had loads of questions, which Martyn happily answered. Eventually, when the moon was high in the sky, all three retired to their beds.

Unknown to them, a single rose petal withered away into nothing when the hour was twelve.

**End of Chapter 44**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 45**

_(Author's Note- Several days have past during which Xephos Honeydew, and Old Peculiar have traveled, seeking Israphel, trying to save Daisy. For the purposes of the story, it might make more sense to say that it has been weeks rather than days as the canon story says, but I suppose it's up to you. Forgive me, but I feel that if you have read this far into my story, you know what happens in the original storyline, and also that I have not really followed it all that closely, in terms of when Daisy is kidnapped and such. Please, don't be too angry. I didn't want to rewrite the story that the Yogscast created (I'm pretty sure that's illegal) I also didn't want to give away too much in my recap of what happened, so I tried my hand at poetry. If you haven't watched SoI, I recommend that you do. It's great. I hope you enjoy the story and have a wonderful day!)_

_(Addition-My computer is at about 30% battery and I cannot get my charger to work so this might be goodbye for awhile until I can get a new one or something.**FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR** Mage-Lochlyn.)_

_Twisted white hands ungloved (A burning city and twisting sands)_

_Even as some find love (pools of water and strong hands)_

_A duo and a hidden blade (victorious achievements and friends well met)_

_Tread where ancient words forbade (dark fate and much blood-let)_

_Where nothing seen is the truth (A real threat and a fake)_

_And the young let go of their youth (Oblivious to the upcoming heartbreak)_

_Some overcome their insanity (romantic whispers and laughter) _

_While others lose their humanity (mangled minds forever after)_

_Soon to face challenges dire (Friend and foe will fall)_

_Soon to fall in unending fire (Death will always take all)_

Since they had first seen the first grey smudge in the distance, Xephos's stomach hadn't been at ease. It seemed to be the only construction for miles in this forsaken desert, and it reeked of something unnatural. The revitalized Knight Peculiar even went a shade paler when he saw it. Before he would let them travel any further, he made Xephos and Honeydew promise to put the mission before anything else, even his own life, and to go on without him should the situation demand it. It was a strange promise to ask of them, but they had agreed without much thought. Both knew that all the knight fought for was the safety of his love, Daisy.

It was hours of walking until they were close enough to the smudge to tell what it was; a huge metal hand, reaching to the sky. Xephos and Honeydew walked the perimeter of it before digging through the sand to reveal a small entryway. Their knight wasn't far behind as they made their way beneath the sands.

As they walked along, they saw pieces of yellowed paper attached to the walls. Every surface seemed to be made of the same grey metal as the outside of the hand. The papers seemed to be a daily log of what those who had been there before were doing. The logs spoke of the metal seeming to appear as they dug out the sand. They were all signed by a fellow by the name of Enoch.

As the notes went on, they grew more and more vague, as though whoever had written them was slowly going mad. At first, only parts of the logs were written in what seemed to be dried blood. Then, as they went on, they were entirely written in blood, the dark, tacky smears and drips obscuring some of the words.

The atmosphere was heavy, the silence of the trio broken only by the somber reading of the notes. The knight had never been much of a talker, but was now even more quiet, even his breathing shallow. It seemed as though his mind was wandering, perhaps to his earlier insistence to the other two that they leave him behind should he become unable to go on.

The notes were at their most disturbing, mostly sketchy accounts of a 'Pale One' which they could only assume was Israphel. The logs recorded the writer's slow descent into insanity, killing his companions and the itching sensation as he slowly turned to sand. He quite valued his 'Beautiful sandstone hands.'

But his bones were so itchy, the logs said, that the only relief was removal.

Honeydew looked at Xephos, both obviously terrified what they would find. At first it was only a few drops of blood on the floor, but they turned a corner and a horrifying sight met their eyes.

A corpse barely recognizable as once being a human being, with blood splattered against the walls. Bones lay among the disgusting slurry of flesh and blood, with long claw marks gouged into them. Honeydew vomited noisily a few feet away while Xephos turned ghost-pale. Their knight mumbled something under his breath, making a sign on his chest.

"Poor Enoch" There was real sorrow in the knight's voice.

Xephos placed a hand on the man's shoulder comfortingly. "Alright, let's move on. There's nothing we can do."

"Gladly." Was the dwarf's grateful reply as he cast a final glance at the blood and bones

The three started off again turning a corner and climbing some stairs. To the right they found their way blocked by metal bars and a sign reading- _CONDEMMED-DO NOT ENTER- _They were more than willing to follow these instructions, and instead investigated to the left.

There was some track and a few mine carts sitting still on them. The knight immediately sat in one. "Looks like we have a ride ahead of us."

While the knight's cart was already in place, Xephos and Honeydew had to roll theirs over to what seemed to be the launching area. There were three parallel tracks. The knight had taken the one furthest from the wall, so Xephos took the middle, and Honeydew took the closest. Xephos clambered into his cart while Honeydew looked at the wall, soon finding a button that would launch the carts.

"Tell me when to push the button" The dwarf said, the nervous tremble in his voice putting Xephos on edge.

Peculiar stared stoically ahead, ready for the dangers that would surely be in wait. This entire journey had been one fight after another, with only the slightest glimpses of the foe that they sought. Xephos had to fight down the nausea that had been bubbling inside of his stomach since first seeing the hand. Thinking of someone trapped in that horrible metal prison, slowly turning to sand and itching off their skin….

_(It's itchy...So itchy…)_

Xephos shivered, and took a breath to give some steel to his voice as he replied, "Let's do this."

There was a rumble when Honeydew hit the switch, and suddenly, the mine carts that the three perched in began to move.

"We're off…" Xephos mumbled to himself. The track flashed by quickly beneath him, and he heard his dwarven friend cry out unintelligibly in panic.

Xephos turned around to look at the parallel track that Honeydew's cart was running on. There were dog-sized spiders waiting on the track for the cart to arrive, but the dwarf sent them tumbling into the sea of thick green goop that hissed dangerously far below them. Xephos didn't fancy falling into the burning, possibly radioactive stuff himself, but the track seemed unstable. His stomach tossed and turned as the cart creaked below him. The individual tracks twisted together and came apart, up and down like a barrel on a storm tossed sea. Xephos thought he was going to be sick.

"We're getting separated!" The knight's voice echoed through the empty cave that the tracks twisted and turned through.

Xephos's cart turned just enough that he could see what happened next- Knight Peculiar's track ended abruptly, and his cart flew off of the end, plummeting into the green sea. His panic-struck eyes caught Xephos's just before he hit the surface.

"Heroes!" He screamed, his voice shrill with pain.

And then all was silent for a moment.

"NO! NONONONO!" Honeydew's anguished cry tore through the cavern. He continued to scream for a few moments while more slowly, the reality of what had happened sunk into Xephos's mind. The former spaceman made small remarks to himself, unable to grasp the death of their long time comrade.

"Hmmm… oh, there's a Creeper here… Oh, there's one down here too."

Anything to keep his mind off of it.

The cavern had closed off into a tunnel, and the carts stopped. Xephos got out of his on wobbly legs and dispatched a Zombie that had begun to attack them. The dwarf had gone silent, and Xephos looked out into the cavern. He stood at the lip of the cliff above the malicious ocean

"What… What happened to Old Peculiar?" He asked, his voice small, falling back onto their comrade's old name.

"I think he might be… dead, Xephos" The dwarf placed a hand on Xephos's arm.

Xephos shook him off and walked back along the narrow track, gazing at the place where Peculiar had vanished. Honeydew shouted some sort of warning, and Xephos turned to kill some minor annoyance. The Creeper had followed him onto the track, and it was simple to send it tumbling to its agonizing death.

"It's too dangerous to go back…" He said to no one. He kept talking, spouting parts of sentences, mind slightly derailed. "But how did he… Was that like…"

Honeydew's voice rose above the sounds of the mobs that were beginning to cluster around them. "Remember what he said? That we might have to leave him behind?"

"Oh shit…"

Honeydew pressed on, "I think this might be it."

Xephos's voice rose "Old Peculiar?" He cried, voice broken. Pain tore through his heart as he yelled louder "Old Peculiar?!" He fell to his knees, face in his hands. He felt Honeydew gather him to his feet and lead him away from the precarious position he was in on the rickety track.

"Shh… he's gone… I think he's gone Xephos."

"I don't think I can carry on without him" Xephos lamented, and started to walk away on his own from the cavern that had claimed their knight, tears still sparkling in his eyes.

"We have to Xephos, we have to. We still have Daisy to think of, and Minecraftia."

Xephos looked down at a map. "But we don't know what we're doing!" He protested, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice.

"We never do, Xephos."

The dwarf had a point. Ever since that fateful day that Israphel had kidnapped Daisy, the old man had been there, leading the trio on their quest to free her and defeat Israphel. They had gone through so much together.

Now he was gone.

_A figure rose up through the liquid death that had claimed his old disguise. It had hurt, pain far beyond what he had expected. It was necessary though, all of it was necessary. Leaving behind his fascination, who had screamed out his name as emotional agony tore through his heart. It was necessary. Oh, he had longed to rise up then, to reveal himself to the one with blue eyes, to show him that he was not gone. But they both must think he was dead, both the fascinating spaceman and the dwarf. For nearly a month he had traveled with the two of them, kept them on the course it was so crucial that they follow. It was necessary that he leave now, make sure the other elements were in place. They were not doing as they should. He must put them back on track. The one with purple eyes was following his course, despite bringing along an unexpected element, but the others were not obeying. He would find those the elements, set them in the way that they must go, and return to his fascination. He had to leave._

_It was necessary._

**End of Chapter 45**


	45. Chapter 45

_(Author's Note- Boy howdy, it's been a long time. I've not really been in a great mental place to write and I don't think I've actually watched Yogscast stuff in a few months besides a couple of one-off videos. But I have so much material written that just needed some editing so I've done that for ya. Figured it's been too long since I updated, probably almost a year or something. oops. Are any of you still here? Well, anyway, you're gunna get the rest of this story in the next two weeks. About 6 more chapters? I'm tired of having it on my conscience. Hope y'all don't hate me. Leave a review if that's a thing you want to do, I appreciate them. Have a wonderful day! ~ Mage)_

**Chapter 46**

The pale grey skin stretched tightly over the monster's sharp canines as it grinned. Its blood-red gums stood in sharp contrast to its white teeth and grey skin. The air was cold, the sun having long bid farewell to the sky. Despite the dark, the demon could clearly see his target. It was less than five miles away, well within his sharp eyesight. He would feed to bolster his strength, and perform another ritual before sleeping to augment his Energy. Then he would strike.

There was a moment of resistance from his host, who still occasionally made a bid for power despite the demon's efforts to destroy him. The boy was forced back down into the depths of his own mind within moments, only a brief annoyance.

Sharp claws slid from the tips of Israphel's fingers with a harsh _snickt_. The tiny spines that usually lay flat against his back sprung up, tearing holes in yet another thin tunic that he stole from one or another traveler he had fed upon. His eyes glowed brighter than they did normally as he screamed towards the black sky. Every footprint he left as he stalked into the woods was coated with a fine dusting of sand that reached out and spread like creeping vines.

He would kill tonight.

It took only a few minutes of ghosting through the trees before he found an unwary traveler who slept blissfully unaware beneath a simple tarp. The deed was done quickly, a leap from the darkness, a shrill cry for help cut short by a crunch of bones breaking, and a limp corpse falling to the ground.

It was with bloody claws and teeth Israphel returned to the place he had stood at before. He scanned the sky for the moon, slightly displeased by the unimpressive crescent. A full moon would work much better, but he couldn't wait around for that long.

He traced a complex circle of runes onto the ground where the wavering starlight could reach them. He bathed the ground with the heart-blood he had taken from his victim, stored in a spare canteen, and watched as an eerie red mist came up from the ground to encompass his form and restore his energy. The dark part of the moon lit up a rusty orange before slowly fading away. As the ritual was completed, a harsh wind wiped the runes from the ground, and it whispered dark secrets into the demon's ears.

Israphel allowed the last of the blood to drip out of the canteen onto the ground, a single ruby drop clinging to his thumb. He licked it off, savoring the metallic taste, before putting the container back into his pack. The woods were completely silent, not a single animal daring to stir when such a powerful hunter was near. Israphel ran a serpentine tongue over his pointed teeth as he focused his power on a nearby tree. He felt a small resistance in it, but it soon succumbed to his superior power. Pale, twisting tendrils slowly emerged from the gaps in its bark to link up with similar treads from a nearby tree. They came together, twisting their sinister forms about each other.

The finished product was a large hammock; its creation had drained all of the two tree's life force. They were both dead, their forms grey and skeletal.

Israphel gracefully floated up to the hammock and stretched out like a cat, the spines on his back flexing as he prepared to sleep. In the morn he would do what he was bid.

He would kill the scientist, at long last.

It had been only a few minutes since Xephos and Honeydew had helped Swampy Bogbeard save his grove of 'Healing Plants'. The sun was just showing itself in the sky with a faint pink glow to the east, bringing a bit of warmth to the cool air.

They were closer than ever to finding Israphel and Daisy, closer than ever to ending the evil that had seized the land in its dead embrace. But, they couldn't quite go yet. The Frenchman they had acquired in the past few days, Shiplord Hubert, was still paddling happily in the small stream that Swampy seemed to have conjured.

Honeydew went to try and go coax him out of the water, while Xephos stayed near Swampy, who was leaning comfortably against the huge tree in the center of the oasis. The image of the man and his tree reminded Xephos of something… Something he had seen months before.

It almost seemed like the way Martyn and Toby acted with their forest. Surely Swampy wasn't one of them, one of the tree-people. But hadn't Martyn mentioned that they had first come from a group not so very far from Mistral city? Xephos decided to take the easy route and simply ask Swampy.

He walked up to the much older man, and leaned against the tree next to him. Swampy turned his head slightly to look at Xephos.

"Thanks for helping me heal my plants, man." Swampy said.

"No problem… Uh, Swampy, do you mind if I ask a question?"

Swampy snickered "You already have, but go for it, man."

"Right, well, I met these two people way back where I first came from, very far West from Mistral City. They called themselves 'Tree-people' and their entire section of forest was made of massive trees like your one here." Xephos patted the trunk of the behemoth gently. "I guess I was just wondering if you were one of them?"

Swampy sighed, a very sad look coming to his eye. "I am one but I am different, in a way. My older brother, Fumblemore, was never one of the tree-people, but he was jealous of my powers. We fought, and it was horrible. My people were sent to the brink of extinction, but managed to pull through. I knew it was dangerous for me to stay; I left them. So now I live here, man."

A single tear rolled down Swampy's cheek slipping off his face and falling to the ground. Xephos shuffled his feet and looked down. Where the teardrop landed, a delicate flower began to sprout from the ground, and withered away within seconds. The Nature Mage smiled despite himself at the brief beauty. "It's not a bad life, man. Sometimes I get to see them still. I make sure no danger can hurt them."

Xephos was filled with questions. Martyn had never talked about a war his grandfather or father had fought in, but then, they hadn't talked much about Martyn's old tribe. All was peaceful for a moment, but then Honeydew's shrill cry broke the quiet.

Xephos charged out onto the bridge to watch as Honeydew slipped beneath the water, Shiplord Hubert looking down at him dispassionately. Time seemed to slow as Xephos leapt off the bridge into the water, trying to save his friend. He looked up, to demand that the Shiplord help him. Indeed, why hadn't the frenchman done something right away?

The man who stood there was not Shiplord Hubert. Instead, there was a taller fellow who seemed familiar, though Xephos couldn't recall where they may have met. The way the stranger's light brown hair curled over his sharp, impish eyes… but there was no time to dwell on deja vu. Honeydew seemed to have vanished from the shallow water.

Xephos' gaze slipped past the stranger. Swampy's massive tree had faded away and with it the rest of the garden walls. All that was left was the knee deep pond surrounded by leagues of desert. An indeterminate distance away stood a humanoid figure made of leaves and debri. It raised a tendril of itself in what seemed a wave goodbye. It twirled away in a breeze that none could feel, transforming into a fine mist that soon vanished.

Xephos felt confused and scared, so much smaller than the forces around him. Had the figure been Swampy? He again turned his confused gaze to the stranger that stood in the water but a few feet away. He tried to ask for an explanation, but his voice only worked in patches, his inquiry a perplexed shamble of words. The stranger raised his arm, smiling at Xephos benevolently.

"Don't worry my friend… All will be explained soon. But now you are needed- Just relax, I would hate for this to hurt you."

Then, with a sharp slash, the stranger cut downwards with his arm. The tip of his fingers touched the water, which oscillated out with unnatural force. The air filled with the scent of raspberries, and suddenly, Xephos was falling.

No, not quite falling. It was like he was being stretched and compressed at the same time. His stomach dropped even as he felt bile rising in his throat. He had closed his eyes when the strange sensation had started, but now opened them. The desert was no longer around him. Instead, he fell and yet flew through a tunnel. There was no wind, but he was buffeted about, tossed and turned so many ways that he lost track of what had once been up. A sickening variety of colors flashed along the edges of the tunnel, some of which Xephos had no name for. Time seemed distorted, and as he traveled along this tunnel, he couldn't tell if he had been doing this for seconds or hours.

Abruptly he found himself falling from about ten feet above the ground, to go sprawling on a soft grassy hill side. He lay there, disoriented for a few minutes before he dared raise his head and look around. A few feet away, Honeydew groaned, also sitting up.

The ginger dwarf rubbed his head with a queasy expression on his face. "What the hell just happened? The Shiplord changed….. he told me not to resist… and then-" Honeydew shuddered. "Whatever that was. Where are we anyways?" He turned to look at Xephos and with a gasp, his eyes widened.

Xephos began to ask what had gotten into the dwarf, but he realized that Honeydew didn't look at him, but above his shoulder. The former spaceman turned his head sharply.

"Knight Peculiar!" Xephos exclaimed.

The Knight coughed. "Yes, I thought it would be easier to explain things like this." He raised his hands to fend off the immediate onslaught of questions. This gesture wasn't enough.

"Quiet!" Peculiar's voice rose effortlessly over their demands.

The other two immediately fell silent for a moment, until the dwarf timidly asked in a small voice, "Are you…Are you a ghost?"

The old man scoffed. "No… Notch, why can't this work out _without_ my interference?" He brought a fist to his lips, looking down at the other two. The dwarf just seemed perplexed in general, but though confusion creased Xephos' brow, Peculiar could see thoughts racing and flickers of clarity in those brilliant blue eyes.

Xephos' best efforts could only dredge up one word, '_Ridgedog'_. It was like there was a wall blocking off everything he knew about whatever Ridgedog was. Was it a name? He somehow knew it was. He wasn't sure _why _he was sure, but he was. Something just like this had happened before, but he couldn't remember a single detail. Everything was hidden behind some velvet curtain in his mind.

Xephos abandoned his introspection and looked to the knight. "May I speak to you for a moment?"

The knight searched Xephos' face for any hints of recollection. "How much do you remember?" he asked.

Xephos uncomfortably cut a glance towards Honeydew. Some niggling feeling told him Honeydew wasn't meant to know about any of whatever this was. The conflict must have shown plainly on his face, because the Dwarf flushed angrily.

"What are you two hiding from me?" He demanded.

"I- I don't even know." Xephos replied. "Just a really strong sense of Déjà vu. And the name Ridgedog.

Peculiar nodded as Xephos spoke. "Listen to me, heroes. I know that there is a lot to be explained, and I will make clear all, in time. But time is the last thing we have right now, so I'll have to give you the abridged version. First off, do you recognize where we are?"

Xephos cast a glance around. He was on a hill, trees scattered around. It wasn't very remarkable; He had seen many such hillsides on his travels. However, it seemed that Peculiar expected him to know, so he kept looking. Honeydew figured it out before he did.

"We aren't too far from Lalna's laboratory!" The dwarf exclaimed. "If you look over there, you can just see it through the mist."

Xephos's gaze followed where Honeydew pointed. Indeed, the familiar building was there, just barely visible. Whatever strange force that had taken them before was very strong, able to transport them that far.

"You're right, Honeydew." Old Peculiar nodded. "Why don't we pay your friend a visit? I have a feeling he could use your help."

"We? How do you know him?" Xephos demanded, impatience flooding his tone. Of course, he was overjoyed that the knight wasn't dead, but there were so many questions to be answered. He didn't like being left in the dark.

"Well, I've been keeping an eye on him, I guess you could say. I've been keeping an eye on a lot of people. That's why I had to go before, during the minecart ride. But you're right, I won't be going with you. It's not quite permitted- this is your quest."

Honeydew glared at the knight. "What the hell are you going on about? Is this something to do with our quest to stop Israphel? Why are you being so secretive? You're meant to help us!"

Peculiar sighed and kneaded his lined forehead. Xephos could have sworn that the Knight hovered upwards slightly, but he blinked and the illusion was gone. Peculiar looked up, his dark eyes unreadable.

He gestured to the rising sun as his answer. "We have but a few minutes until you must act. I don't know _quite _what you are meant to do, or even what is going to happen. Still, I can see that neither of you hard headed idiots will do anything until you get a few answers. Sit with me, heroes. I will explain."

**End of Chapter 46**


	46. Chapter 46

_(Author's Note- Ay, see this isn't like all the other times I swore I'd be faithful with my uploads and then totally wasn't. Here's another chapter! I haven't much to say really. Leave a like/review if that's your thing, and have a wonderful day! ~Mage)_

**Chapter 47**

Lalna seized on his back with blood streaming from his mouth,dripping down his cheek and pooling on the ground. He'd bitten his tongue, though he had tried to stuff his mouth with the cloth he kept in his pocket for just that reason. The fits grew worse with every passing day, but he could never escape them. Not through medication, or careful structuring of his time. Not through anything he could conceive of, so now he just endured them.

The worst part was how clear headed he remained. He never blacked out during the attacks, and he couldn't forget a second of the pain. He could only just hang on to his sanity, and even that was slowly slipping away, thanks to the constant isolation and agony. All that kept him alive was fear, and the Power that lived in his body like a parasite.

_Damn _that specimen, for making him this way. Yet Lalna still felt guilty. After all, he had brought Beta into the world, into a life of pain. The identical curse bestowed upon him by his own creation was his punishment for presuming such power.

During the fits, Lalna could feel a soft darkness enveloping him with inviting warmth. It called for him to just let go, and the offer was so tempting- a simple end to the pain. But Lalna was afraid. He didn't want to fade away into the gentle darkness, afraid that it was a false offer- that only more pain hid behind a prelude of calm. So he fought the dark each time, and awoke.

His eyes shot open and he gasped, the blood in his own mouth gagging him. He shifted over onto his side and coughed up bloody phlegm. It splattered wetly on the cement floor of his engine-shop. A few months ago he would have been ashamed of himself, making a mess on the floor like a dog but now he was past shame.

The only good thing about the fits was that the weakness no longer lingered. Once they passed, he was able to get up and work again. The work was the most important thing. It kept him grounded, and it gave some illusion of safety. He had more cameras and sensors than he had a use for; a different laser gun for every day of the month. He could hold off an army, let alone a single man. He told himself he was safe in his Lab. He wished he could believe it.

_The boy ghosted over the ground, a cloak of power around him that jammed the countless devices that tried to track him. It made invisible as well, or at least as invisible as the magic allowed him to be. A shimmer marked where he passed._

_Breaking into the laboratory was child's play. The front doors were guarded with an electrical lock that was too complex to easily disarm, but a large window nearby was easily opened. Though the glass itself was impervious to physical attack, its lock was only mechanical, easily persuaded to open with a touch of power. Such a genius mind, truly._

_That said, he had grown very skilled during his travels._

_It was shamefully easy to find the scientist, who lay on the ground, twitching and jerking like a dying insect. It would be so easy to kill him, right that instant. Still, he had heard many stories of people coming back to life. It was impossible to separate the fact from the fiction, but if it was in fact true, in all likeliness, the scientist had something to do with it. It was a safer bet to look around first, and see if the rumours were based in fact._

_A small room that housed many screens on the walls looked to be promising. The screens displayed thousands of small icons, each with a bar and a number next to it. A desk in the corner held a monitor, with a computer tower tucked beneath on the floor._

_The man riffled through the drawers of the desk. His search yielded several sheets of paper with diagrams and countless lines of incomprehensible equations, as well as a cardboard box of small tapes, lined up neatly next to a player. The boy settled perched in the chair, and began to listen to the tapes._

_Several minutes of the scientist's aggravating voice granted the boy what he sought. Indeed the rumors were true, all thanks to a program this single computer ran, and thousands of chips. The boy ran a pale finger along the ridges of his skeletal neck, imagining the tiny piece of metal resting there. He needed no such protection, but it would surely hinder his assassination of the scientist._

_One of the tapes was dated several months after the others. The voice was softer and tired. The scientist expressed concerns about a fatal error in the code of many of the 'Immortality chips'. He rattled off a list of codes in a monotone voice, and then announced his plans to move the program into a larger backup server. However, he feared that taking it offline or relocating the program at all would render the existing chips useless._

_The boy could see no server in the room, and the computer was obviously running the program. The course to take was simple. Without wasting another moment, he knelt on the floor. He summoned a great heat around his hand, and plunged it into the computer, instantly melting the outer case and causing irreparable damage to the internal workings. The screens around the room blackened._

_He grinned ferally. Now he should be able to kill the scientist- But first he could look about for more things that would be useful to his master. Master would be pleased if he did that. Maybe Master would even let him remain here for longer._

_He set off down the hallway, seeking more of the scientist's secrets._

Lalna stared at the blank screen in shock. How had the computer gone down? It was set to never turn off or restart. He hadn't even been planning on venturing into this part of the lab today, and wouldn't have noticed had he not needed a power tool that he had left in the Jetpack workshop. It was only the half open doorway and the absence of light from the screens that had tipped him off.

Lalna had discovered months before that many of the chips that were accidently released had simply been faulty, and would fail to work correctly when the time came. There was no telling who actually had functioning chips. That said, those that had already come back once would be reckless, believing themselves immortal. But now every chip was offline. No one would come back. Lalna shot a glance around the room, on edge.

Perhaps Sjin had devised some way to get past the security devices, as strong as they were. It would be like that idiot to invent some device to wreck the inner workings of Lalna's electric locks. Such a machine could wipe out a computer without much trouble.

But it wasn't like Sjin to leave so little damage, and other electrical systems would be damaged if that were the case. Sjin had made several revenge raids on the lab without Sips, who seemed content to leave the place alone. Every attack had been destructive, and indiscriminate. This was too direct and contained to have been Sjin.

Lalna tried to reboot the machine, to no avail. It was well and truly dead. He unplugged the unresponsive tower and pulled it out from under the desk to inspect it better. It took less than a second to discover the problem- a huge hole in the plastic casing of the computer. The edges were melted, and the internal parts were similarly damaged.

Lalna sighed. All of his hard work, destroyed. All of the world, now in mortal peril.

But who could have done it? The computer's parts were melted, not burnt. It couldn't have been a simple fire within the machine, which was very unlikely to happen in the first place due to its cooling systems. A fire would have left blackened chunks of wire and metal. This had been caused by some sort form of pure heat.

He knew he should have tried to move the program over to a separate server, despite the difficulties it would cause. It would have been better than leaving it wide open to attack.

Lalna's mind quickly went over the possibilities, trying to remain logical. It couldn't have been Sjin; There would be more far more damage. Very few knew the source of the immortality chips, and most of them were his friends, so that hardly seemed like motivation. As for people that just wanted him dead, no one could have gotten past the security.

He tried to keep his mind away from the possibility of Rythian. He needed to stop thinking of the specimen so much, it was ruining his already pitiful life. But Rythian was the only one that had a hatred for him like that. He even might have learned about the Immortality project just from spending time in the lab. Lalna might have mentioned it in one of their friendlier conversations or something. Rythian had the cunning to sneak past sensors and cameras. Perhaps he had found new, more powerful ways to harness the poison in his veins.

Lalna told himself that it didn't matter who it was. This issue was someone in the lab, someone that had found a way around the many security systems, and that person had to be found and dealt with.

Lalna quickly took the hard-drive out of the computer and put it on the desk. He would see what information could be gleaned from it later. Now it was time to get armor, and a jetpack. He had a single lasergun on him. He needed to grab more though it was doubtful he'd actually use it. He'd still rather carry extra weight than run out of charge.

He nonchalantly set out into the hall, careful to avoid letting the intruder know he'd caught on. He made it to his main armory without incident, and quickly armed himself with a few daggers and a lightweight sword for close quarters combat. That was it for bladed weapons, but his real strength was in guns.

Since his fateful storm on Sipsco, he had designed better laserguns with stronger charges and longer-lasting batteries. The ones that held altered Essence were built virtually the same. It was fruitless to construct them of anything special since little seemed to insulate the heat that the Essence produced whenever Lalna drew near. Instead he relied on thick, clumsy gloves that didn't work very well. The holster at his side had a cooling gel between layers of insulating material. The gun was still quite warm through it, but he was able to carry it for short amount of time.

He had two such holsters, and he put them both on. The guns were already in them. He kept his normal laser gun as well. It had a full charge, practically enough to take out a thousand men without straining the battery. It tucked nicely into the inside pocket of his coat. He pulled on his heavily insulated gloves and slid his arms through the straps of the newest model of his jetpacks. This particular one made the models Sips and Sjin had stolen look like children's toys.

He was armed to the teeth; time to find out who had the audacity to invade his lab.

He started down the hall, keeping a keen eye out for anything out of its place. He pulled the goggles down from his forehead and, using various eye movements and soft vocal commands, scanned through the cameras on one lens. He kept the other clear to keep an eye on where he was walking. It had been difficult to multitask when he first started with the goggles, but it was now nearly effortless.

The goggles scrolled through all the cameras fairly rapidly, until something caught his attention.

"Goggles, stop" Lalna took a moment to brace his back against a wall. "Display to both screens." Doing this caused the goggles to activate a 3D simulator that made it seem as though Lalna was actually seeing the room in person rather than through a camera. He still wasn't quite used to it and it made him quite dizzy, but was invaluable in thoroughly checking a camera's perspective.

This particular camera covered a corridor, the one that ran by his personal room well away from any high-risk experiments. A blurred distortion making its way down the hall was what had caught his eye. It paused by a display on the wall and vanished, but became visible again once it continued moving. It turned into Lalna's room and out of the view of the camera.

Lalna immediately closed the camera's view, leaving both of the goggle lenses clear again. The distortion had to have been a person with some sort of cloaking device, which meant the intruder was in his room!

He rushed down the hall, not yet feeling the usual exhaustion thanks to the fit only about an hour ago. It would be awhile until the next one struck. Until then he would be fine. He paused as he drew close to the closed door of his room.

His heart beat desperately in his chest, not due to the run, but fear. All of the thoughts he had ignored while selecting gear and checking the cameras now attacked with a vengeance. What if it _was_ Rythian? What if the gun couldn't stop him like it should? What if he was here to kill?

Lalna quickly drew the normal lasergun, his hand only a few inches from one of the powered ones in the insulated holster, near enough to feel the angry heat. For some reason, the burning gave him courage, and he swiftly opened the door.

He didn't expect what he saw- a leatherbound book floating in the air, pages flipping quickly. He didn't hesitate at all, firing just above the book. The laser beam hit flesh, and the intruder became visible.

The stranger smiled coldly as the burnt edges of his wound began to crawl towards each other. It wasn't Rythian. Indeed, it hardly seemed like a living thing at all. Skeletal and pale like a nightmare. The stranger seemed oblivious to the fact that there was a smoking hole in his chest. He wasn't consciously healing it either. The skin moved as though it was alive, without command.

Just like Rythian healed.

Time seemed to slow. Lalna's heart fluttered, his mind blank but for panic; eyes wide and mouth gaping. He gathered his gibbering thoughts enough to fire again, but before his finger could pull the trigger, a great force struck his hand and sent the gun flying to smash against the wall in the corridor.

His trigger-finger was torn out of its socket with an audible pop. The pain hit him like a wall and he screamed, but it had already healed nearly completely.

He turned his terrified gaze back to the stranger, whose grin revealed too many teeth, all razor sharp.

"I'm Israphel, and I've been sent to kill you, Scientist. But what's to say we can't have a little fun?"

Lalna's heart dropped as he was hit with a blast of force and physically thrown through the ceiling. Though dizzied with pain, he managed to turn on his jetpack, which came to life with a purr. He quickly darted up away from any immediate danger.

But then Israphel rose up out of the hole Lalna's body had paved. Nothing supported him, but he flew higher and higher like an angel of destruction.

Lalna knew it was his hell-sent punishment.


End file.
